CURRENT WORK

Africa

Please send information to Alecos Demetriades [alecos.demetriades@igme.gr]

Asia

National- and global-scale geochemical mapping projects have been carried out in China since the late 1970s:

1. The Regional Geochemistry - National Reconnaissance (RGNR) Project, which is China's largest national-scale geochemical mapping project, and has covered more than 6 million km2 of the country’s hilly and mountainous regions since 1978.  Generally, stream-sediment samples were collected at a density of 1 sample per km2 and 4 samples were composited into one analytical sample for analysis of 39 elements.  Approximately 1000 map sheets at a scale of 1:200000 have been produced by each provincial geological survey.  The geochemical atlas of whole China using an average value per 100 km2 grid has been prepared by China Geological Survey and is expected to be published in 2009.

2. The Multi-purpose Eco-geochemical Mapping project has been conducted in the quaternary plains of eastern China to provide data for environmental regulation and for improvement of agricultural practices since 1999.  Soil samples were collected from the surface (0-20 cm) and a deeper zone (150-200 cm).  The sampling density for the surface samples is 1 sample per km2 and for the deeper sample is 1 sample per 4 km2.  Fifty-two elements and organic carbon (Org.C) and pH were determined. 

3. Penetrating geochemical mapping project has been conducted in covered terrains, including basins, at a density of 1 sample per 100 km2 with analysis of 30-70 elements since 1994.  In the past 10 years, an area of approximately 800 000 km2 has been covered.

4. 76 Geochemical Element Mapping (76 GEM) project has been carried out since 1999.  One composite sample from approximately 100 individual stream sediment samples of the RGNR project original samples were analysed for 76 elements.  The geochemical atlas for 76 elements has been edited by Professor Xie Xuejing and published in Chinese by China Geological Publishing in 2008.

5. The Environmental Geochemical Monitoring Networks Project (the EGMON project) was launched in 1993 as a pilot study for the IGCP360 in an attempt to find a suitable sampling medium universally available representing a very large area.  For this purpose 500 flood-plain sediment samples were collected in large catchment basins in whole China, and 51 elements were determined according to the IGCP259 recommendations.

6. China is cooperating with Colombia, Brazil, Guyana, Kazakhstan and Mongolia in national- and global-scale geochemical mapping by transferring its expertise in sampling, chemical analysis, and map generation through bilateral and multilateral collaboration.

Australia

• National Geochemical Survey of Australia in second year of sampling.

Europe

• Samples of the FOREGS/EuroGeoSurveys Geochemical Baseline project are being analysed in different laboratories.

• EuroGeoSurveys GEMAS project (Geochemical mapping of agricultural and grazing land soil of Europe):   The sampling has been completed in the participating European countries, and the soil samples are at the stage of sample preparation.

• EuroGeoSurveys ‘European Groundwater Geochemistry’ project:  First phase of bottled mineral water has been completed by the collection of 1772 bottled waters from all European countries.  The water samples were analysed at BGR (Germany) and the data are in the process of interpretation, and the plan is to publish the results by the end of 2009.

Indian subcontinent

• Soil geochemical survey of India completed.

North America

• North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project in second year of sampling.

South America

Please send information to Alecos Demetriades [alecos.demetriades@igme.gr]