Single-element Anomaly Mapping from Stream Sediment Geochemical Landscapes Aided by Digital Terrain Analysis
Jie XIANG
International Mining Research Center, China Geological Survey, Beijing, 100037 China
China Mining News, China Geological Survey, Beijing, 100037 China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Peng XIA
International Mining Research Center, China Geological Survey, Beijing, 100037 China
Institute of Advanced Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorKeyan XIAO
MNR Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Resource Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037 China
Search for more papers by this authorEmmanuel John M. CARRANZA
Department of Geology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorJianping CHEN
School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083 China
Search for more papers by this authorJie XIANG
International Mining Research Center, China Geological Survey, Beijing, 100037 China
China Mining News, China Geological Survey, Beijing, 100037 China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Peng XIA
International Mining Research Center, China Geological Survey, Beijing, 100037 China
Institute of Advanced Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorKeyan XIAO
MNR Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Resource Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037 China
Search for more papers by this authorEmmanuel John M. CARRANZA
Department of Geology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorJianping CHEN
School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083 China
Search for more papers by this authorAbout the first author:
XIANG Jie, male, born in 1990 in Changde, Hunan province, Ph.D., graduated from the China University of Geosciences (Beijing). Associate Professor at the International Mining Research Center, Chinese Geological Survey. Currently, he is primarily engaged in data analysis and ‘Big Data’-related research. Email: [email protected].
About the corresponding author:
XIA Peng, male, born in 1982 in Honghu, Hubei Province, Ph.D. candidate at the China's University of Geosciences (Wuhan). Director of Science and Technology in the Foreign Affairs Department, CGS; Director of International Mining Research Center, CGS. Currently, he is primarily engaged in resource and environmental assessment. Email: [email protected].
Abstract
The identification of anomalies within stream sediment geochemical data is one of the fastest developing areas in mineral exploration. The various means used to achieve this objective make use of either continuous or discrete field models of stream sediment geochemical data. To map anomalies in a discrete field model of such data, two corrections are required: background correction and downstream dilution correction. Topography and geomorphology are important factors in variations of element content in stream sediments. However, few studies have considered, through the use of digital terrain analysis, the influence of geomorphic features in downstream dilution correction of stream sediment geochemical data. This study proposes and demonstrates an improvement to the traditional downstream dilution correction equation, based on the use of digital terrain analysis to map single-element anomalies in stream sediment geochemical landscapes. Moreover, this study compares the results of analyses using discrete and continuous field models of stream sediment geochemical data from the Xincang area, Tibet. The efficiency of the proposed methodology was validated against known mineral occurrences. The results indicate that catchment-based analysis outperforms interpolation-based analysis of stream sediment geochemical data for anomaly mapping. Meanwhile, the proposed modified downstream dilution correction equation proved more effective than the original equation. However, further testing of this modified downstream dilution correction is needed in other areas, in order to investigate its efficiency further.
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