  Modern geological studies and mineral exploration techniques rely heavily on
being able to digitally visualise and interpret data. Rare earth elements
(REEs) are vital for renewable energy technologies. REE concentrations, when
normalised to a standard material, show unique geometric curves (or patterns)
in geological samples due to their similar chemical properties. The lambda
technique can be used to describe these patterns and turn them into points -
making it easier to visualise and interpret larger datasets. Lambdas have the
potential to help industry understand intricate sample relationships and the
geological and economic importance of their data.
  This study explored the use of lambdas through the evaluation of various
visualisation methods to determine their usefulness in mineral exploration. The
'REEkit' platform facilitated the evaluation of the different visualisation
methods and gauged industry interest and acceptance of such a service.
Qualitative data was gathered through contextual inquiry, utilising
semi-structured interviews and an observational session with 10 participants.
Conceptual thematic analysis was applied to extract key findings.
  This study found that two critical factors for successful lambda data
visualisation in the mineral exploration industry are familiarity and clarity:
visualisations that were familiar and commonplace for users allowed for better
analysis and clear communication to non-technical audiences. This included
visualisations such as the 3D scatter plot and scatter plot matrix.
Furthermore, visualisations that complemented each other and seamlessly
integrated into the same workflow provided diverse perspectives on the data.
Important aspects included understanding population grouping versus data
distribution, achieved through combinations such as scatter plot and density
contour plot, or 3D scatter plot and violin plot.
