This book is a marked departure from typical introductory geochemistry books available: It provides a simple, straightforward, applied, and down-to-earth no-nonsense introduction to geochemistry. It is for the undergraduate students who are introduced to the subject for the first time, but also for practicing geologists who do not need the heavy-duty theory, but some clear, simple, and useful practical tips and pointers.

This book, written from the point of view of a practicing geologist, introduces the fundamental and most relevant principles of geochemistry, explaining them whenever possible in plain terms. Crucially, this textbook covers - in a single volume! - practical and useful topics that other introductory geochemistry books ignore, such as sampling and sample treatment, analytical geochemistry, data treatment and geostatistics, classification and discrimination diagrams, geochemical exploration, and environmental geochemistry. The main strengths of this book are thebreadth of useful and practical topics, the straightforward and approachable way in which it is written, the numerous real-world and specific geological examples, and the exercises and review questions (using real-world data and providing on-line answers). It is therefore easily understood by the beginner geochemist or any geologist who desires to use geochemistry in their daily work.

Autorentext

Paul Alexandre is an experienced geochemist who trained in France before perfecting his skills in Canada. He has applied geochemistry to areas such as metallogeny and mineral exploration, geochronology, mineralogy, and environmental studies. Paul is a dedicated professor, a supervisor, and a researcher at Brandon University, Canada.

Inhalt

1. The elements.- Nucleosynthesis.- Characteristics.- Isotopes.- Behaviour.- Substitutions.- 2. Analytical techniques.- Whole rock.- Microbeam.- Isotopes.- Data treatment and statistics.- 3. Applications.- Chemical composition of the Earth.- Lithogeochemistry and rock classification.- Geodynamic setting.- Alterations and metamorphism.- Mineral exploration.