Regolith Exploration Geochemistry in Tropical and Subtropical Terrains

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 35°N and 35°S 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 data derived from numerous research and case studies in terms of exploration and dispersion models based on the weathering and geomorphological history. The models permit valid comparisons between equivalent terrains that may be geographically widely separated and situated in quite different climatic environments. The basis of the volume is to view geochemical dispersion within the context of a genetic understanding of the evolution of landforms and the regolith (i.e. landscape geochemistry) and to develop exploration procedures based on this understanding.

This book should be of interest to exploration geochemists, economic geologists, soil scientists, geomorphologists and environmental geochemists.