Tellus Geochemical Soil Samples from the United Kingdom

The Tellus geochemical survey collected soil samples at two depths (20 cm and 50 cm) from approximately one site per 2 km² across rural and urban areas of the United Kingdom. Conducted from 2004 to 2006 by the British Geological Survey, the dataset includes XRF analyses for over 50 elements including Ag, As, Ba, Pb, and Zn, plus pH and Loss on Ignition measurements.

Use Cases

• Establish natural geochemical baselines for elements like As, Pb, and Cd by analyzing concentrations from the 20 cm and 50 cm depth samples.
• Map regional contamination by identifying man-made overprints in urban areas using the XRF data for heavy metals such as Cu, Ni, and Zn.
• Investigate vertical geochemical variations by comparing element concentrations like Fe2O3 and SiO2 between the two sampled soil depths.
• Model soil pH and Loss on Ignition relationships with major oxides (Al2O3, CaO, K2O) to understand soil composition and weathering.

Strengths

• Samples collected at a systematic density of approximately one site per 2 km², providing broad spatial coverage.
• Includes analysis for over 50 specific geochemical elements and compounds, from major oxides (SiO2, Al2O3) to trace metals (Au, Pt, Pd).
• Follows the established G-BASE standard methodology developed by the British Geological Survey for regional geochemical mapping.
• Provides data from two distinct sampling depths (20 cm and 50 cm) enabling analysis of vertical variation.

Limitations

• Data is temporally limited to samples collected between 2004 and 2006, with no apparent updates, potentially missing recent changes.
• The primary file format is HTML, which is not ideal for direct analytical use and likely requires extraction and transformation.
• Specific sample count (rows), file size, and columnar structure are unknown, complicating assessment of dataset scale and direct usability.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Multi-media survey collecting soil samples at two depths, analyzed by XRF and Fire Assay for a suite of geochemical elements.

Time Range

2004 to 2006

Freshness

null

Geography

United Kingdom (rural and urban areas)