A comparison of analytical techniques and data for international geochemical mapping samples

The progress of chemical analysis techniques for national and international geochemical mapping samples are reviewed, focused on the mapping programs completed in the past ten years or ongoing projects such as in China, Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. The comparison of analysis data obtained by Chinese and European laboratories are described. The study shows that the recommendation for analyses of elements by IGCP 259 has been followed by more and more national and global geochemical mapping practice. China now has the ability to determine 76 elements for geochemical mapping. The study demonstrates that comparable analytical data of certain elements can be achieved by different high-level laboratories, such as some European and Chinese laboratories. However, the obvious biases exist between two datasets for more than 10 elements. Development of standard geo-analytical methodologies is still needed to obtain globally comparable geochemical data for international geochemical mapping programs.