Application of multi-element statistical analysis for regional geochemical mapping in Central Japan

Some 434 stream sediment samples were collected in Central Japan for a nationwide geochemical mapping project. The resulting geochemical maps are compared with geological, mineral resource and land use maps. Spatial distribution patterns of elemental concentrations in stream sediments are determined mainly by surface geology. Elevated elemental concentrations of alkali elements, Be, Ga, Y, Cs, Ba, lanthanide (Ln), Tl, Th, and U are consistent with outcrop areas of granite, felsic volcanic rock, and accretionary complexes. High concentrations of MgO, Al2O3, P2O5, CaO, 3d transition metals, Zn, and Sr are present in sediments supplied from mafic volcanic rock, high pressure metamorphic rocks, and mafic-ultramafic rocks in accretionary complexes.