IGME

Enlaces de interés

Enlaces de interés

IGME - Geoquímica de España

 

 

Summary

IGME - Geoquímica de España
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IGME - Geoquímica de España

The main purpose of this project, granted by the European Economic Area (EEA), has been to fill the lack of knowledge about geochemical components of soils and other surficial materials in the Spanish territory. As a result, soil contamination events, affecting ecosystems and public health, will be more effectively addressed.

A multielementary geochemical characterization of soils and surficial materials has been performed. These geo-referenced data were brought into a high resolution geo-database, improving the knowledge of the natural environment. This valuable tool permits to perform a preliminary analysis of the situation of soils in the Spanish territory to improve soil contamination, to prevent policies and regulations, as well as to address more effectively epidemiological, agricultural, biological and geological research activities with special incidence in land management and geological and mineral resources research.

In a four years period, 40,000 samples were collected from the whole Spanish territory. A total of 63 elements of the periodic table have been analysed, including those that are dangerous for ecosystems, pesticides in agricultural areas and dioxins and other organic pollutants in industrialized areas.

   

Technological and methodological aspects

 

IGME - Geoquímica de España
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IGME - Geoquímica de España
[+]

IGME - Geoquímica de España
[+]

IGME - Geoquímica de España
[+]

IGME - Geoquímica de España
[+]

 

Flecha  Sampling has been carried out in various materials, according to the following methodology:

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Composite stream sediments and residual soils two depths (0-25 cm and 25-50 cm). A total of 14.000 sampling points (sediments + 2 soil depths). A total of 36.400 samples.

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Flooding plains sediments at two depths (top and bottom) in drainage basins of 3.000 to 6.000 km2. 332 sampling points are foreseen (664 samples).

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Supplementary data gathering in each sampling point of hydrographic net and soil: pH and TOC

Three sampling densities were foreseen in the project, according to great areas with higher or lower geological complexity, industrial and demographic pressure (1 sample point / 10 km2, 1 sample point / 20 10 km2 and 1 sample point / 100 km2.

In this link you can display the sampling sites of sediments and soils.
 

Map

In 2012 the Geochemical Atlas of Spain, synthesis of the project, has been printed, and it has been on sale in the IGME service publications.

Mapa muestras geoquímica

 

Flecha  Sample Preparation and multielemental chemical analysis

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Sieving of sediments (150 microns), flood sediments (63 microns) and soils (2 mm).

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Total or almost total multielemental chemical analysis (63 elements) and with partial extraction (aqua regia) of samples by INAA, ICPAES and ICPMS. TOC determination.

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Analysis of organic pollutants (dioxins, pesticides, etc.) in agricultural zones, industrialized zones or areas with a strong demography. (1.200 samples).

Flecha  Quality control:

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Supervision of field sampling teams and preparation activities

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Quality control and sampling error determination (2 x 3,7% of field duplicates)

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Analytical quality control and analytical error determination (3,7% of duplicate samples)

Flecha  Methodology

This geochemical infrastructure complies with some basic requirements, derived from the recommendations of project IGCP 259 (IUGS-UNESCO):

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It should be based on samples of different madia, that include soils (two depths), stream sediments, floodplain sediments (2 depths). These latter ones, in alluvial systems of certain magnitude, shall permit the knowledge of the original uncontaminated values, previous to the industrialization period and the temporal variations by comparison with present and future values.

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It must be multielementary, including a wide range of chemical elements (63 in this case), comprising all those potentially dangerous for the ecosystem and those with an interest in geology and mineral resources research. They will be analyzed by reliable techniques and with very low detection limits. It must take into account the determination of total or almost total contents and of partial contents that will allow estimate the easiest extractable or bio-avalaible part. This latter point is of particular interest for the environmental analysis and would make possible an assessment in pollution processes.

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It must follow, all the time, a strict analytical control and sampling protocol. Its pursuit and sample density shall guarantee that the obtained infrastructure of a high quality and good resolution.

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It should be available in digital form, to ease the integration of the geochemical information with other data sets (geology, metallogeny, land uses, animal or human morbidity and mortality)

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It must be standardized across national boundaries, as many of the problems and worries arisen concerning the surface means to go beyond the frontiers and must be analyzed at a more global scale (e.g. the acid rain or pollution produced by the Chernobyl accident, etc). The follow up of project IGCP 259 recommendations and the protocols derived from FOREGS project “Global Geochemical Baselines for Europe” shall be a guarantee for the compliance of this requirement.

   
Analitical results

 

IGME - Geoquímica de España
[+]

 

In 2012 the Geochemical Atlas of Spain, synthesis of the project, has been printed, and it has been on sale in the IGME service publications.

Atlas Geoquímico de España
- Isovalues map of cobalt in sediments -

DISPLAYING ISOVALUES MAPS WITH GOOGLE EARTH (Developing application)

Selecting the following links you can visualize the isovalues maps of several elements with Google Earth.

 [Instructions for use of Google Earth]

The results of samples analysis are available in the link:

http://info.igme.es/geoquimica/


NOTE:

On finding any difficulties to perform the query to the database, you could also be access to the data using the "Browser Geoscientific Information" of the IGME, which link is quoted below: http://info.igme.es/visor/

- For more information contact geoquimica@igme.es -
 

Boceto IGME2016

IGME

Ríos Rosas, 23

28003 Madrid

Teléfono + 34 913 495 700

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