The delivery of the PhotonAssay unit for Fosterville is already complete, with the installation to be fully operational by early October, said Kirkland. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

"We believe the PhotonAssay method has potential benefits for our business that include simple sample preparation, fast turnaround times for high-quality results, and improved outcomes related to health, environment, and the community,"  said Wess Edgar, chief geologist for Kirkland Lake Gold in Australia.

Chrysos PhotonAssay is a quantitative, chemistry-free replacement for fire assays, stated the release. It hits samples with high-energy X-rays, causing excitation of atomic nuclei that allows enhanced analysis of gold, silver, and complementary elements in as little as two minutes. 

Chrysos PhotonAssay allows large samples of up to 500g to be measured and provides an accurate bulk reading independent of the chemical or physical form of the sample.  

Chrysos CEO Dirk Treasure stated, "Our PhotonAssay installations provide single-touch operation and improved safety outcomes, while also reducing labour requirements and the potential for human error. The technology's fast turnaround on high sample volumes provides customers with time-critical operational data and drives optimisation through their entire value chain."