Regolith Exploration Geochemistry in Arctic and Temperate Terrains

Book excerpt: Geochemists, geologists, chemists, mathematicians, technicians and amateur prospectors alike will find this a practically oriented and comprehensive handbook for use in the field or office. It describes methodologies for assessing overburden in Arctic and temperate regions. Scientists can study the composition of bedrock by analyzing the overburden and ores found by the separation of the anomalies from the chemical background variation. This task is a very demanding one for previously glaciated terrain, where overburden consists totally of transported and mixed materials. It is possible to trace back the anomalies found in glacial till and sometimes those found in glacifluvial sediments. Special care in sampling and preparation of samples for analysis as well as very sensitive methods of analysis are necessary in obtaining results suitable for successful interpretation. The present handbook is dedicated to these vital problems. The genesis of overburden formations and the character of geochemical anomalies are discussed at length, after which examples are provided from a variety of situations. Articles concerning practical aspects of sampling, analysis and mathematical treatment, written specifically to help investigations are also included. The text is illustrated by 196 drawings, 32 tables and the selected bibliography contains 533 references. A key word list makes the handbook easy to use.