Regolith Exploration Geochemistry in Tropical and Subtropical Terrains

Book excerpt: Hardbound. The use of exploration geochemistry has increased enormously in the last decade. The present volume specifically addresses those geochemical exploration practices appropriate for tropical, sub-tropical and adjacent areas - in environments ranging from rainforest to desert. Practical recommendations are made for the optimization of sampling, and analytical and interpretational procedures for exploration according to the particular nature of tropically weathered terrains. The underlying theme is the recognition that regions between 35N and 35S in particular have a common history of deep chemical weathering and lateritization during the late Mesozoic and early Tertiary. This has had a profound and lasting effect, so that the surface geochemical expressions of mineralization throughout these regions have many similar features, with local modification due to more recent weathering under changed climates.The volume discusses the da