Introduction

Abstract

Geochemistry, the study of the chemistry of the earth, is one of the original boundary sciences, relying heavily on the techniques and principles of chemistry and physics to study the distribution of elements in the earth and to explain the processes that give rise to these distribution patterns. Many of those same early scientists that contributed to the knowledge and techniques of chemistry also contributed notably to the knowledge of geochemistry, simply because their subjects for study were natural products of the earth, in many instances minerals and rocks. However, the ideas and objectives of inorganic chemistry crystallized more quickly than those of geochemistry. It was easy to gather data on the composition of natural materials—but how could these be organized and classified into a formal, logical science? What is meant by the term “Geochemistry”?