British Stream Sediment Geochemistry Survey 1960s-2014

Great Britain's national strategic geochemical mapping program collected stream sediment samples from the late 1960s to 2014. The British Geological Survey (BGS) conducted the survey with an average density of one site per 1.5 km square, analyzing samples for elements like Ag, As, Ba, and Zn. The project provides a systematic baseline of geochemical information for environmental monitoring and mineral exploration.

Use Cases

• Map spatial distributions of elements like Pb, Cd, and Zn to identify regional contamination or mineralization patterns.
• Establish environmental baselines for elements such as As and U to measure future geochemical change across Great Britain.
• Analyze correlations between element pairs (e.g., Fe and Mn) in the <150 micron sediment fraction for geochemical process modeling.
• Use the systematic site density (one per 1.5 km square) to interpolate national-scale geochemical maps for elements like Cu and Ni.

Strengths

• National-scale coverage across most of Great Britain.
• Systematic sampling with an average density of one site per 1.5 km square.
• Long-term temporal coverage from the late 1960s to 2014.
• Analysis includes over 40 elements, such as Ag, As, Ba, and Zn.

Limitations

• Sample collection concluded in 2014, limiting analysis of recent environmental changes.
• Specific row count, column details, and file formats are unknown from the provided input.
• Some samples are re-analysed from other programs, potentially introducing methodological inconsistencies over time.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Stream sediment samples collected from drainage sites, sieved to <150 microns, and analyzed via methods including XRF and DR-OES.

Time Range

Late 1960s to 2014

Freshness

null

Geography

Great Britain