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Sampling Density in Regional Exploration and Environmental Geochemical Studies: A Review

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Abstract

A variety of factors contribute to the proper and efficient evaluation of geochemical programs including sampling medium, sample size and sample fraction, sampling density, digestion procedure, and analytical techniques. Among the aforementioned factors, sampling density is of great importance, affecting project ability to detect anomalous sites, which are either economically viable or environmentally hazardous. It is quite critical to have a sufficient number of samples to delineate geochemical anomalies or baselines and to reveal the relative variations in elemental concentrations in a study area. The resolution of the subsequent maps obtained by sampling greatly depends on sampling density. While a large number of samples may generate redundant data, a small number of samples smooth out the patterns and may completely miss anomalies. This review provides a platform for applied geochemists who desire to design a sampling scheme for a regional geochemical program and do not have the financial resources to perform an orientation survey, which will give them the necessary information for designing, according to project objectives, a cost-effective regional geochemical survey for their study area. It is advisable to integrate during the desktop study all available information, such as geological, structural, geophysical, remote sensing data and topographical data by using different data fusion algorithms to arrive at a sampling density fit-for-purpose of the target area. This in turn facilitates an effective spatial positioning of sample locations. Quantitative analyses of the efficiency of different sampling densities for delineating geochemical patterns have not been well documented, warranting more attention and research.

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Source: Moon et al. (2006)

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to appreciate greatly the professional editorship and constructive review of the manuscript by Prof. Carranza, editor-in-chief of the NRR. Also, thanks to constructive comments received from three anonymous reviewers of the NRR.

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  1. Isfahan, Iran

    Hengameh Hosseini-Dinani

  2. Department of Mining Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 8415683111, Iran

    Ahmad Reza Mokhtari & Shahed Shahrestani

  3. Pegaso University, Piazza Trieste e Trento, 48, 80132, Naples, Italy

    Benedetto De Vivo

  4. Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Benedetto De Vivo

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Hosseini-Dinani, H., Mokhtari, A.R., Shahrestani, S. et al. Sampling Density in Regional Exploration and Environmental Geochemical Studies: A Review. Nat Resour Res 28, 967–994 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-018-9431-2

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