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Elemental Concentrations of Stream Sediments in Southern China
Author(s) -
Zhizhong Cheng,
Xuejing Xie,
Hanjiang Pan,
Rong Yang
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geostandards and geoanalytical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.037
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1751-908X
pISSN - 1639-4488
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-908x.2013.00220.x
Subject(s) - sediment , hydrology (agriculture) , mineralogy , soil water , environmental science , floodplain , geology , soil science , geography , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , cartography
Over 3 million samples were collected from southern C hina at a density of 1–2 stream sediment samples per square kilometre as part of the R egional G eochemistry N ational R econnaissance ( RGNR ) programme of China initiated in the late 1970s. Approximately 5244 composite samples of stream sediments from twelve provinces of southern China were prepared from the original RGNR samples collected from a territory with an area of 23 km 2 at a density of one composite sample per 1:50000 map sheet (about 400 km 2 ). Seventy‐six elements were determined by the geoanalysis laboratory of Henan Province (platinum‐group elements) and by the I nstitute of G eophysical and G eochemical E xploration ( IGGE ) laboratory for the remainder. Internal quality and external quality control methods were applied to ensure that the analytical data were comparable. Statistics were used to derive the mean and background values and indicate the average concentrations of the seventy‐six elements. Comparisons were made against the mean values obtained from stream sediments, floodplain sediments, overall sediments and overall soils of the entire territory of C hina. The concentrations of Hg, Cd, rare earth elements and 24 other elements were higher than their background for the whole of China. In contrast, the concentration of N a 2 O , C a O , B a and S r were lower in the stream sediments in southern C hina than their whole C hina background.