Lithogeochemistry
Last updated on January 20, 2020Province-wide lithogeochemical data collected by British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS) geoscientists and their research partners. The database is populated with data compiled from 230 BCGS publications released between 1986 and 2019.
It includes 11,635 samples with more than 520,000 determinations analyzed by 27 analytical methods in 23 laboratories. The database operates through a semi-automated process for data compilation, quality control, upload, and product generation, which helps provide consistent, standardized, and long-term data storage and update, and regular release. The data product derived from the database provided in this release is in a user-friendly format (CVS), which can be easily brought into GIS and geochemical data evaluation software for visualization and analysis. The complete database is released as a set of relational tables in MS Access format.
British Columbia lithogeochemical database: Development and data release
T. Han and A.S. Rukhlov
The development of the British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS) rock geochemical database provides a solution for storing and managing data collected by BCGS geologists and their associates in a systematic and consistent fashion. New rock geochemical data are format-standardized, metadata-completed, quality-controlled, and populated into the database, where they are integrated with existing data for permanent maintenance and storage. At the beginning of 2016, a new BCGS rock geochemical database was developed and populated with data compiled from 214 BCGS releases published between 1986 and 2015. It included about 11,000 samples with 250,000 determinations analyzed by 26 analytical methods in 21 laboratories. Since the original release, we have been updating the database, which is now augmented with new rock geochemical data compiled from BCGS publications between 2016 and 2019. The new data include 721 samples from 16 locations with ca. 45,000 determinations analyzed by 10 analytical methods in five laboratories. This GeoFile releases the new rock geochemical data in three CSV files: 1) ‘rock_geochem_data.csv’, contains sample-level information and analyte concentrations determined by various analytical methods; 2) ‘rock_geochem_lab.csv’ is a metadata file that provides information about detection limits, analytical laboratory, and sample pre-processing; and 3) ‘rock_geochem_method.csv’ is a file of reference for all analytical methods and the codes adopted in the above ‘rock_geochem_data.csv’.
NOTE: The CSV files in OF2020-02 only have data on the additional 721 samples. The complete data is available in the MS Access database.
Recommended citation: Han, T. and Rukhlov, A.S., 2020. Update of rock geochemical database at the British Columbia Geological Survey. British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2020-02, 4p.
The current version is downloadable here.
Previous versions:
- Han, T., Rukhlov, A.S., Naziri, M., and Moy, A., 2016. New British Columbia lithogeochemical database: Development and preliminary data release. British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines, British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2016-04, 6 p.
- Paulen, R.C., and Lett, R.E., 2013. Geochemistry of gossans and float in the Kootenay, Slide Mountain, and Quesnel terranes (NTS 92P, 82M, 82L). British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines, British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2013-07, 14 p.
- Lett, R., and Ronning, C., 2005. BC Rock Geochemical Database. British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2005-14, 4 p.
- Ronning, C., 2005. BC Rock Geochemical Database Manual. British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2005-15, 45 p.