Geochemical mining exploration

The representativity (and thus the usefulness) of a soil/stream sample is driven by many parameters: initial geochemical signature, weathering, erosion, chemical dispersion, chemical/mechanical traps, etc. There is no universal "good practice” but this course is designed to give attendees an overview of the main mechanism and to help them to ask themselves the good question before any geochemical survey.

1. Demonstrate the significance of all parameters controlling the geochemical content of a sample;
2. Understand the relations between working scale and sample representativity.
3. Give attendees the essential tools for multi-elementary geochemical interpretation.
    

This course will mix theoretic consideration, case studies and practical exercises on data interpretation. The course may integrate Field Course exercises, depending on the location.

Practical exercises can be done on company’s attendees data set.

No specific requirement for this course that can take place in any meeting room with validated HSE characteristics, in your company premises or elsewhere. 
If a short field trip or field sampling campaign is added, specific requirements will be compulsory, and adapted to the local conditions. In such a case, field evaluation and emergency measures will have to be anticipated and will be clearly specified in a published report before the course. 

5 days (35-40 hours) is the ideal time, including 1 field trip day. 

• Geochemical signature;
• Alteration and its geochemical impacts;
• Geochemical dispersion;
• Sample representativity and homogeneity: technical consequences

• From sampling to analytical results;
• Data management: tools, constraint; 
• Elaboration of a geochemical survey (practical work).

• Geochemical data interpretation
  • Some theoretical considerations
  • A few words on softwares
  • Technical work.
     

• Field trip (if required and possible) 

• Case study;
• Open discussion;
• Synthesis.