Regional Geochemical Reconnaissance in Medical Geography

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Abstract
Geochemical reconnaissance by stream-sediment sampling provides a ready means for mapping the distribution of the elements on a regional scale. The method, which is rapid and inexpensive, is based on the premise that stream sediment approximates to a composite sample of products of weathering and erosion of the rocks and soils upstream from the sample site. Although the technique is simple, interpretation of the data contains a strong element of research. Geochemical reconnaissance of this type is now standard practice in mineral exploration. Recently the results of trial surveys carried out in the United Kingdom at a sampling density of 1 sample per sq mi, followed by analysis for some twenty elements, have demonstrated a useful range of application in agriculture as a means of delineating suspect areas of trace-element disorders in crops and animals. The significance of stream-sediment data in medical geography is a matter for interdisciplinary research. Nevertheless, there are grounds for believing that a geochemical atlas could provide a unique source of ancillary information in epidemiological surveys, particularly in rural areas and in the less well-developed parts of the world.

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