Geochemical Analysis - Branches Of Geochemical Analysis, Geochemical Analysis In Other Environments
earth predict science process
Geochemical analysis is the process through which scientists discover and unravel the chemical compounds that make up the earth, its atmosphere, and its seas. The process requires a thorough grounding in chemistry and the earth sciences, and an understanding of the different ways elements can interact in a given geologic situation. Geochemical analysis can predict where petroleum, metals, water, and commercially valuable minerals can be located—a branch of the science known as geochemical prospecting. It can also be used to predict or trace toxic leakages from waste disposal sites, and to track and understand fluctuations in the earth's climate throughout its history, a branch known as paleogeochemistry. Still another form of the science is cosmochemistry, which attempts to chart the composition of celestial bodies through the analysis of reflected light and other forms of radiation.
Additional Topics
Geochemical analysis became important in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when chemists first began investigating the compounds that formed naturally in the earth, air, and water. Much of this early work was credited to a chemist named V. M. Goldschmidt, who with his students created detailed charts of the chemical breakdown of common compounds, mainly igneous rocks. He also created a serie…
By examining the chemical composition of sea water and polar ice, geochemists can draw conclusions and make predictions about the environment. Although natural weathering processes can take various trace elements into the sea or lock them into ice caps, scientists also find that by analyzing these compounds they can determine the impact which humans are having on the earth and possible climatologi…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments