Regional geochemistry

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Regional geochemistry is the study of the spatial variation in the chemical composition of materials at the surface of the Earth, on a scale of tens to thousands of kilometres. Important parameters to consider when designing or evaluating a geochemical survey are:

Garrett et al. (2008) describe how the discipline has evolved from its beginnings in Russia in the 1930s. The first surveys were aimed at mineral exploration. In recent years, many surveys have emphasised a more broad-based environmental mapping approach. Numerous government agencies around the world have initiated multi-year systematic geochemical mapping projects, aimed at producing baseline geochemical maps of very large areas. See, for example, the description by Johnson et al. (2005) of the British Geological Survey’s G-BASE project.

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Petroleum geology is the study of origin, occurrence, movement, accumulation, and exploration of hydrocarbon fuels. It refers to the specific set of geological disciplines that are applied to the search for hydrocarbons.

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Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking.

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Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment. In particular, biogeochemistry is the study of biogeochemical cycles, the cycles of chemical elements such as carbon and nitrogen, and their interactions with and incorporation into living things transported through earth scale biological systems in space and time. The field focuses on chemical cycles which are either driven by or influence biological activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus cycles. Biogeochemistry is a systems science closely related to systems ecology.

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MetPetDB is a relational database and repository for global geochemical data on and images collected from metamorphic rocks from the earth's crust. MetPetDB is designed and built by a global community of metamorphic petrologists in collaboration with computer scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as part of the National Cyberinfrastructure Initiative and supported by the National Science Foundation. MetPetDB is unique in that it incorporates image data collected by a variety of techniques, e.g. photomicrographs, backscattered electron images (SEM), and X-ray maps collected by wavelength dispersive spectroscopy or energy dispersive spectroscopy.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred T. Mackenzie</span> American sedimentary biogeochemist

Frederick T. Mackenzie is an American sedimentary and global biogeochemist. Mackenzie applies experimental and field data coupled to a sound theoretical framework to the solution of geological, geochemical, and oceanographic problems at various time and space scales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest ring</span>

Forest rings are large, circular patterns of low tree density in the boreal forests of northern Canada. These rings can range from 50 metres (160 ft) to nearly 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in diameter, with rims about 20 metres (66 ft) in thickness. The origin of forest rings is not known, despite several mechanisms for their creation having been proposed. Such hypotheses include radially growing fungus, buried kimberlite pipes, trapped gas pockets, and meteorite impact craters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Plant</span> British geochemist, scientist, author, engineer

Jane Anne Plant CBE, FREng, FRSE, FRSA (1945–2016) was a leading geochemist, scientist, and author. Plant was a pioneer in the field of geochemical surveys and environmental surveys. She was Chief Scientist at the British Geological Survey and was a Professor of Geochemistry at Imperial College London. Plant was also highly involved in the Institution of Mining & Metallurgy where she was involved in many aspects including a role on the Council, and was the first female President of the Institution of Mining & Metallurgy, a post she held from 2001 to 2002. This gave her an extensive network of key connections with government, industry and academia.

T. Kurtis (Kurt) Kyser was an American and Canadian geologist and geochemist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, professor of the University of Saskatchewan and Queen's University, founder and director of the Queen's Facility for Isotope Research (QFIR). Kyser served as a president of the Mineralogical Association of Canada and as an Editor-in-Chief of the journal Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (GEEA).

Emily M. Klein is a professor of geology and geochemistry at Duke University. She studies volcanic eruptions and the process of oceanic crust creation. She has spent over thirty years investigating the geology of mid-ocean ridges and identified the importance of the physical conditions of mantle melting on the chemical composition of basalt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Joy</span> Earth scientist

Katherine Helen Joy is a Reader in Earth Sciences at the University of Manchester. Joy has studied lunar samples from the Apollo program as part of her research on meteorites and lunar science.

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