Data (VNIR-SWIR reflectance, TIR emissivity, XRD and ATR-FTIR) Supporting Analyses of NYF Pegmatite and Garnet-Biotite Gneiss Rocks from Amelia County, Virginia

This data set represents laboratory measurements conducted on a suite of select 53 pegmatite and host rock samples to better spectrally characterize complex pegmatite minerals. Of these 53 samples that were measured and analyzed, this includes 24 samples collected from the Morefield Mine, Amelia County, VA, six samples from the Martin-Marietta Amelia Quarry, Amelia County, VA, three samples from the Piedmont-Carolina Mine, NC, nine mineral samples from across central Virginia preserved by Virginia Energy, and eleven samples from drillcores of Morefield Mine preserved by Virginia Energy. The data were obtained in support of developing indices to guide critical mineral resource assessments, primarily with hyperspectral lab analysis with two instruments. Visible through near infrared through shortwave infrared (VNIR-SWIR, ~0.4 – 2.5 microns) reflectance measurements are obtained with an artificial light source connected to an Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) spectrometer. Thermal infrared (TIR, ~2-15 microns) emissivity measurements are obtained with the Nicolet Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (Nicolet). To supplement these hyperspectral lab analytical techniques, other instruments were used to help guide the mineral identification of selected samples. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was measured in one sample from Morefield Mine. Eight samples from Morefield Mine and one sample from the Martin-Marietta Amelia Quarry were analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD). Using these data can inform critical mineral assessments by indicating which units are more likely to provide the desired resource.