Environmental Geochemistry


Book Description

Environmental Geochemistry: Site Characterization, Data Analysis and Case Histories, Second Edition, reviews the role of geochemistry in the environment and details state-of-the-art applications of these principles in the field, specifically in pollution and remediation situations. Chapters cover both philosophy and procedures, as well as applications, in an array of issues in environmental geochemistry including health problems related to environment pollution, waste disposal and data base management. This updated edition also includes illustrations of specific case histories of site characterization and remediation of brownfield sites. - Covers numerous global case studies allowing readers to see principles in action - Explores the environmental impacts on soils, water and air in terms of both inorganic and organic geochemistry - Written by a well-respected author team, with over 100 years of experience combined - Includes updated content on: urban geochemical mapping, chemical speciation, characterizing a brownsfield site and the relationship between heavy metal distributions and cancer mortality




Quantitative Geochemistry


Book Description

"This book presents quantitative treatments of a wide range of fundamental problems related to geochemistry and geology. It shows that trace elements, isotopes, and equations are integrative tools in modern geochemistry for studying various Earth processes." -- Back cover.




Methods for Geochemical Analysis


Book Description

Analytical methods used in the Geologic Division laboratories of the U.S. Geological Survey for the inorganic chemical analysis of rock and mineral samples.




Geochemical Rate Models


Book Description

This well-organised, comprehensive reference and textbook describes rate models developed from fundamental kinetic theory and presents models using consistent terminology and notation. Major topics include rate equations, reactor theory, transition state theory, surface reactivity, advective and diffusive transport, aggregation kinetics, nucleation kinetics and solid-solid transformation rates. The theoretical basis and mathematical derivation of each model is presented in detail and illustrated with worked examples from real-world applications to geochemical problems. The book is also supported by online resources: self-study problems put students' new learning into practice, and spreadsheets provide the full data used in figures and examples, enabling students to manipulate the data for themselves. This is an ideal overview for graduate students, providing a solid understanding of geochemical kinetics. It will also provide researchers and professional geochemists with a valuable reference for solving scientific and engineering problems.




Essentials of Geochemistry


Book Description

Updated throughout with the latest data and findings, the Second Edition of Essentials of Geochemistry provides students with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of and approaches to modern geochemical analysis. The text uses a concepts of chemical equilibrium approach, which considers the reactions that occur as a result of changes in heat production and pressure within the Earth to introduce students to the basic geochemical principles. This text is for those who want a quantitative treatment that integrates the principles of thermodynamics, solution chemistry, and kinetics into the study of earth processes. This timely text contains numerous examples and problems sets which use SUPCRT92 to allow students to test their understanding of thermodynamic theory and maximize their comprehension of this prominent field. New sections introduce current “hot” topics such as global geochemical change with the short and long term carbon cycle, carbon isotopes and the Permo-Triassic extinction event, kinetics and the origin of life and the use of boron and nitrogen isotopes.




Frontiers in Geochemistry


Book Description

This book is a contribution to the International Year of Planet Earth arising from the 33rd International Geological Congress, held in Oslo, Norway during August 2008. The first section of the book considers aspects of geochemical processes which led to the development of the solid Earth as it is today. The second portion of the book shows how the rapidly-evolving analytical tools and approaches presently used by geochemists may be used to solve emerging environmental and other societal problems. This unique collection of reviews, with contributions from a range of internationally distinguished scientists, will be invaluable reading for advanced students and others interested in the central role geochemistry in the earth sciences.




Regolith Exploration Geochemistry in Tropical and Subtropical Terrains


Book Description

The use of exploration geochemistry has increased enormously in the last decade. The present volume specifically addresses those geochemical exploration practices appropriate for tropical, sub-tropical and adjacent areas – in environments ranging from rainforest to desert. Practical recommendations are made for the optimization of sampling, and analytical and interpretational procedures for exploration according to the particular nature of tropically weathered terrains. The underlying theme is the recognition that regions between 35°N and 35°S in particular have a common history of deep chemical weathering and lateritization during the late Mesozoic and early Tertiary. This has had a profound and lasting effect, so that the surface geochemical expressions of mineralization throughout these regions have many similar features, with local modification due to more recent weathering under changed climates. The volume discusses the data derived from numerous research and case studies in terms of exploration and dispersion models based on the weathering and geomorphological history. The models permit valid comparisons between equivalent terrains that may be geographically widely separated and situated in quite different climatic environments. The basis of the volume is to view geochemical dispersion within the context of a genetic understanding of the evolution of landforms and the regolith (i.e. landscape geochemistry) and to develop exploration procedures based on this understanding. This book should be of interest to exploration geochemists, economic geologists, soil scientists, geomorphologists and environmental geochemists.







Critical Mineral Resources of the United States


Book Description

As the importance and dependence of specific mineral commodities increase, so does concern about their supply. The United States is currently 100 percent reliant on foreign sources for 20 mineral commodities and imports the majority of its supply of more than 50 mineral commodities. Mineral commodities that have important uses and face potential supply disruption are critical to American economic and national security. However, a mineral commodity's importance and the nature of its supply chain can change with time; a mineral commodity that may not have been considered critical 25 years ago may be critical today, and one considered critical today may not be so in the future. The U.S. Geological Survey has produced this volume to describe a select group of mineral commodities currently critical to our economy and security. For each mineral commodity covered, the authors provide a comprehensive look at (1) the commodity's use; (2) the geology and global distribution of the mineral deposit types that account for the present and possible future supply of the commodity; (3) the current status of production, reserves, and resources in the United States and globally; and (4) environmental considerations related to the commodity's production from different types of mineral deposits. The volume describes U.S. critical mineral resources in a global context, for no country can be self-sufficient for all its mineral commodity needs, and the United States will always rely on global mineral commodity supply chains. This volume provides the scientific understanding of critical mineral resources required for informed decisionmaking by those responsible for ensuring that the United States has a secure and sustainable supply of mineral commodities.