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Service Spotlights 1 Min Read Published: August 20, 2026

Deep Dive: Overcoming the Nugget Effect with Metallic Screen Fire Assays

Deep Dive: Overcoming the Nugget Effect with Metallic Screen Fire Assays

In coarse-gold quartz vein systems, standard 30g or 50g fire assay charges are statistically prone to the ‘nugget effect’. A single 0.5mm gold flake in one split can report 50 g/t Au, while an identical split from the same interval reports 0.2 g/t Au.

How Metallic Screening Solves the Dilemma

RVA Laboratories’ Metallic Screen Fire Assay (SCR-FA-05) processes an entire 1,000g sample. By sieving through a 106µm screen and assaying the coarse fraction (+106µm) to extinction while running duplicate assays on the fine fraction (-106µm), we mathematically reconstruct the true representative grade of the mineralized interval.

Laboratory Analytical Services & QA/QC Support

Rock Vein Assay Laboratories Limited provides all analytical testing methods, JORC-compliant QA/QC programs, and statutory environmental monitoring discussed in this article. Contact our Chief Geochemist to discuss your exploration or mine testing requirements.