Geostatistical analysis of a geochemical dataset

The application of geostatistics to data obtained from geochemical prospecting process can provide useful information for evaluating mineralization potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of Au, As and Sb contents over a large area of the Coruña province, Spain. A geochemical survey was carried out from which a data set with 323 samples was collected. Macroelements and trace elements were determined by routine analytical techniques. The spatial variability was assessed using semivariogram and crosssemivariogram as well as indicator semivariogram analysis. Frequency distributions of the studied elements departed from normal, as indicated by skewness and kurtosis coefficients. Coefficients of variation ranked as follows: Sb < As < Au. Significant correlation coefficients between Au, Sb and As were found, even though the correlation values were low. Spherical models with nugget effects ranging from 50% (As) to 57.8% (Au) were fitted to the experimental semivariograms. Cross semivariograms of Au versus Sb and As showed smaller nugget variance than individual semivariograms. Indicator semivariograms were calculated taken mean, median, and different percentiles as threshold values. Ordinary kriging, cokriging, and indicator kriging were performed to generate geochemical maps. The method has succeeded in effectively extracting useful information, and improving the analysis of the metallogenic and ore-controlling factors, thereby playing an important role in qualitative and quantitative predictions