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General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration

This document discusses the general procedures for geochemical exploration. It begins by outlining the steps in a typical geochemical exploration survey, including general assessment of the area, a pilot study, regional reconnaissance sampling, and follow-up sampling. It then provides more details on the pilot study stage, emphasizing the importance of standardizing methods and quality control. Finally, it discusses considerations for regional reconnaissance sampling such as sample density and the use of pathfinder and lithological indicator elements. The overall document serves as a guide for planning and conducting geochemical exploration surveys.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
52 views65 pages

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration

This document discusses the general procedures for geochemical exploration. It begins by outlining the steps in a typical geochemical exploration survey, including general assessment of the area, a pilot study, regional reconnaissance sampling, and follow-up sampling. It then provides more details on the pilot study stage, emphasizing the importance of standardizing methods and quality control. Finally, it discusses considerations for regional reconnaissance sampling such as sample density and the use of pathfinder and lithological indicator elements. The overall document serves as a guide for planning and conducting geochemical exploration surveys.

Uploaded by

Gilang Pamungkas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IAEA Training Workshop on

Uranium Geochemistry in the Asia-Pacific Region


TINT, Bangkok, Thailand, 16–19 May 2017

General Procedures of
Geochemical Exploration

John Carranza
Adjunct Associate Professor, James Cook University, QLD, Australia
Visiting Professor, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
Usefulness of exploration geochemistry

1
Conceptual model of formation of geochemical
anomalies in the weathering environment

2
Patterns of residual anomalies in soil

3
Other factors that could distort soil anomalies

4
Soil anomalies formed by ice movement (in Finland)

5
Stream sediment anomalies
clastic dispersion

6
Stream sediment anomalies
hydromorphic dispersion

7
Stream sediment anomalies
hydromorphic dispersion

8
Steps in a geochemical exploration survey

1.General assessment of the area


2.Pilot study or orientation survey
3.Regional reconnaissance
4.Preliminary follow-up
5.Systematic –detailed- sampling
6.Trenching, pitting, augering
7.Drilling
8.Deposit evaluation From: Agricola’s De Re Metallica (1556)

At the end of each step always reflect if you should continue


and spend more money
General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 9
General assessment stage
Planning

10
General assessment stage

Things to consider:
 Mineral potential of the area
 Type of mineral deposit(s)
 Earlier exploration work
 Mining licenses in the area
 Type(s) of exploration survey
 Specific local circumstances
such as access, seasonal
aspects but also political issues
 Costs, etc. ….
General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 11
General assessment stage

Data to consider:
 Topo maps, road maps
 Geological maps
 Airborne radiometrics
 Satellite images
 Aerial photographs
 Etc. etc.

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 12


General assessment stage
Factors in the selection of geochemical exploration methods

From: Levinson (1974)


General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 13
General assessment stage

14
General assessment stage

Elkhadragy, A.A., et al., 2016. The use of airborne spectrometric data in


geological mapping and uranium exploration at Qena-Quseir shear zone area,
Eastern Desert, Egypt. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, 16(5) 15
Geochemistry and spectral remote sensing

Application of IR in mineral exploration: mapping of hydrothermal


alteration, suitable in areas with sparse or no vegetation.
Appropriate in regional- to local-scale surveys
16
Geochemistry and spectral remote sensing

The next step must be on the ground!


17
General assessment stage
Check-list of a geochemical survey
Item Check
Field Party  numbers, composition, experience, leader
Training  when, where, by whom
Base Maps  appropriate scale, topography, etc
Numbering Schemes  simple unambiguous, avoid complex alpha-numerics
Field Notes  make sure they are collected correctly
Quality Control  collect field duplicates and insert, + standards, in next batch
Communications with  must be simple and direct and given only by designated personnel
Laboratory
Shipping Lists  must accompany every consignment sent to the laboratory
Instructions  give clear unambiguous instructions to the laboratory
Return of Data  check duplicates, standards, etc. for quality of analytical data, request re-
analysis when in doubt
Data Handling  manual or computer aided, what is best for your project
Interpretation Maps  prepared to summarize geochemical data
Integration Field Notes  used to qualify interpretation of geochemical data
Storage of Data  need to be able to retrieve for re-interpretation
Archive of Samples  at laboratory, office or warehouse
Integration with other  ensure good communication with management and other project
Exploration Procedures personnel
Reporting  author of report must be familiar with field program
18
Source: Levinson (1974)
General assessment stage
Sample forms …. .... or
modern field
data
collection

database
structure

19
Pilot study or orientation survey

To decide why, what, where,


 How much/many, what fraction, etc., should be sampled?
 What elements to analyse
 The most optimal / economic methods to analyse samples.
 Required field information
 Etc. etc. etc.
STANDARIZE YOUR METHODS, AVOID CONTAMINATION AND
THINK OF QUALITY CONTROL !!!!!!

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 20


Pilot study or orientation survey
Choice of effective sample density: how much to sample?

From Huang Ghengzhi, Regional geochemical exploration in karst regions, example from Beishan-Dushan area, China
21
Pilot study or orientation survey
Systematic or non-systematic sample collection?

“Road” Sampling

Useful for fast sample


collection or an
orientation survey but it
does not give a good
systematic sample
coverage of the survey
area

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 22


Pilot study or orientation survey
Important elements to be considered in geochemical exploration

 ore indicator elements

 pathfinder elements

 lithologic indicator elements

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 23


Pilot study or orientation survey
Important elements to be considered in geochemical exploration

Pathfinder element(s), required properties:


 Easily dispersed around mineralisation, thus creating a wide
dispersion halo
 Sufficiently abundant, so that the halo is distinguishable from
the surrounding background values
 Not too problematic, technically and financially, to analyse
Due to the improved, cheap analytical techniques providing
good quality multivariable data with very low detection limits,
the use of pathfinder elements is nowadays less prominent

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 24


Pilot study or orientation survey
Common pathfinder elements in exploration geochemical surveys

Source: mainly Levinson (1974)


General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 25
Pilot study or orientation survey
Lithologic indicator elements

26
Pilot study or orientation survey
Lithologic indicator elements

Source :Beauty Mazibuko. I.F.A. EREG-3 August 2001 27


How to increase reliability of geochemical data?

 Strive for consistency in sample site selection


 Strictly follow standardized sampling methods
 Collect larger samples to improve representativity
 Increase sample density
 Collect duplicate samples, at least 10%

These are applicable to rocks, soil, sediment and water


samples.
 The last three points will cost extra money but the first two
are free! 28
Exploration survey steps

1.General assessment of
the area
2.Pilot study or
orientation survey
3.Regional
reconnaissance
4.Preliminary follow-up
5.Systematic –detailed-
sampling
6.Trenching, pitting,
augering
7.Drilling
General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 29
Stream sediment sampling requires few tools

In most drainage geochemical surveys, ~250 gram of silt material is collected from active or recently
transported stream sediments and placed in a Kraft paper bag. The material is collected in six to ten
grabs by hand over a few meters of the streambed.
General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 30
At end of reconnaissance regional-scale sampling

 Study all geochemical data and combination of data together


with geological and airborne geophysical information
 Check with original exploration model and collect additional
information (extra element analysis)
 Rank and classify all anomalies
 Decide if to continue and how much more expenditure is
allowed.
 Decide on the follow-up area, type of follow-up sampling,
number of samples, analytical procedures
General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 31
Detail of a reconnaissance stream sediment survey

The box area is selected for a


preliminary follow-up
sampling programme in order
to reconfirm the anomaly and
for a quick check on the
anomalous catchment.
It will consist of a higher
sampling density thus helping
to narrow down the
anomalous area
32
Preliminary follow-up sampling stage

The original sample points


were re-sampled
The results confirm the
reconnaissance results
No obvious explanation was
found to explain that it is an
anomaly caused by, for
example, industry

33
Next step: soil sampling

 Sampling from random locations,


coordinates determined from topo
map or GPS.
 Sampling from pre-determined
positions based on geomorphology,
such as on “ridge-and-spur” or
“bottom-of-slope”.
 Sampling over a grid
 Grid cell size
 Grid shape
 Grid orientation
34
Next step: soil sampling

mineralized belt

FIG. 1. Relation of a sample grid spacing to the detection of a mineralized belt.

From: Cameron & Hornbrook (1976) 35


Next step: soil sampling

FIG. 1. Relation of a sample grid spacing to the detection of individual mineral deposits.

From: Cameron & Hornbrook (1976) 36


In-situ collection of radon in soil gas
(a) Dynamic system (b) Static system

0.3 to 2 m

∅: 10 cm 37
From: Smith et al. (1976)
In-situ collection of radon in soil gas
Static system

From: Smith et al. (1976) 38


Soil sampling for trace elements

 Bulk samples, least representative


 Representative samples, e.g. of a specific soil type or soil horizon
 Composite samples = mixture of several representative samples
 Undisturbed samples, the highest quality

For chemical analysis of homogeneous material:


 Fine-grained material < 1mm : 100 -500 gram
 Medium-grained material 1 mm-1 cm : 1-2 kg
 Coarse-grained material 1cm – 10 cm : 2-5 kg

For chemical analysis of heterogeneous material:


 The representative quantity is determined by the size of the coarsest
grains in the sample material
General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 39
Soil sampling for trace elements

Start with a pilot study or


orientation survey, to decide:
• Why, what, where?
• How much and what fraction to
sample?
• The most optimal / economic
methods to analyse your samples.

STANDARIZE YOUR METHODS,


AVOID CONTAMINATION AND THINK
OF QUALITY CONTROL !!!!!!
40
Soil sampling methods:
base-of-slope and ridge-and-spur sampling

Fast methods for sample collection in areas that are too large or difficult for regular grid
sampling. Easy to plot on maps or enlarged aerial photographs. 41
Ridge-and-spur soil sampling

When access is difficult

Minimum requirements: Tape and


Compass/GPS

42
Ridge-and-spur soil sampling results

The results indicate


a lenticular shaped
Cu anomaly in soil

43
Systematic sampling grid patterns

Grid geometry such as traverse interval, sample interval


and grid orientation depend on the shape of the
anticipated target (and the field circumstances)

44
Systematic soil sampling in a grid
Picture from Pablo Andrada de Palomera of soil sampling in Argentina

45
Simple soil sampling pit

Picture from Pablo Andrada de Palomera, sample pits in Argentinean in an area with thick soil cover.

46
Deep regolith sampling

47
Mechanized soil sampling
Picture from Pablo Andrada de Palomera of mechanical soil pitting

48
Soil sampling over a 100 x 20 meter grid

49
Integration of geochemistry and geophysics

Magnetometry
Geophysical data collection on a soil grid
50
In-fill soil sampling over a 20x5 meter grid

This sort of high


density sampling
grid is warranted
only for vein and
pegmatite
deposits in
residual soil cover
51
Points to consider in soil surveys

 Soils are heterogeneous vertically with several horizons


 Selection of the best horizon for purpose
 Soils are strongly dependent on climate, topography, bedrock,
age, etc.
 B-horizon frequently used for base metals
 Size fraction plays a role
 Many different analytical procedures
Check literature and test chosen procedures in a small pilot
study if possible.
52
Follow-up of soil anomaly: trenching

In this example: Cu-, Bi-


and W-bearing minerals
were found in trench I
53
Follow-up of soil anomaly: trenching

54
Follow-up of soil anomaly: trenching

55
Follow-up of trench observation: drilling

Vertical scale is exaggerated

56
Sampling from greater depth with RAB or RAC drills

Sampling material from reversed air circulation drilling


57
Diamond drilling

58
Supplement to geochemical analysis of drillcores

59
Supplement to geochemical analysis of drillcores

60
End of an geochemical exploration survey

 After successful exploratory drilling, an exploration survey


enters into a deposit evaluation phase followed by a feasibility
study to determine if a mineral deposit is economic.

 During the evaluation stage, methods for geochemical analysis


will switch to “assay quality”

General Procedures of Geochemical Exploration 61


Keep track of costs of all aspects of an exploration
survey

62
Possible scores in an exploration survey

At the end of each exploration phase


 Reconnaissance stage: 200 targets?
 Preliminary follow-up stage: 50 targets?
 Detailed follow-up stage: 25 targets?
 Trenching stage: 10 targets?
 Drilling stage: 2 targets?
 Successful deposits, if you are lucky: 1 ?????

More often: None !!! 63


References
CAMERON, E.M., HORNBROOK, E.H.W., 1976. Current approaches to geochemical
reconnaissance for uranium in the Canadian Shield. In: Proceedings of Symposium
on Exploration for Uranium Deposits, IAEA, 29 March – 2 April 1976, Vienna, Austria,
pp. 241-266.
LEVINSON, A.A., 1974. Introduction to Exploration Geochemistry, Applied Publishing Ltd.,
Calgary.
SMITH, A.Y., BARRETTO, P.M.C., POURNIS, S., 1976. Radon methods in uranium exploration.
In: Proceedings of Symposium on Exploration for Uranium Deposits, IAEA, 29 March
– 2 April 1976, Vienna, Austria, pp. 185-211.
THOMPSON, M., & HOWARTH, R.J., 1978. A new approach to the estimation of analytical
precision. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 9(1), 23-30.

64

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