Since the middle ages the fire assay has been the gold standard in gold analysis. However a new system has been developed by the CSIRO using powerful x-rays to bombard rock samples and activate atoms of gold ? and other metals ? giving off unique atomic signatures which are detected by a highly sensitive detector. It dramatically reduces the turnaround time on assays from days to minutes, providing critical data to miners on gold grades in near real-time to support operational decisions.. While this new system is currently calibrated to evaluate gold, it can also be applied to a range of other minerals, including silver and copper. https://blog.csiro.au/first-photon-assay-installation/