Quantifying the Distribution Characteristics of Geochemical Elements and Identifying Their Associations in Southwestern Fujian Province, China

The distribution of geochemical elements in the surficial media is the end product of geochemical dispersion under complex geological conditions. This study explored the frequency and spatial distribution characteristics of geochemical elements and their associations. It quantifies the frequency distribution via mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis, followed by measuring the spatial distribution characteristics (i.e., spatial autocorrelation, heterogeneity and self-similarity) via semivariogram, q-statistic and multifractal spectrum, and further identify the elemental associations based on these distribution parameters using hierarchical clustering. A criterion was defined to identify the importance of parameters in the clustering procedure. A case study processing a geochemical dataset of stream sediment samples collected in southwestern Fujian province of China was carried out to illustrate and validate the procedure. The results indicate that studies of the frequency and spatial distribution characteristics of geochemical elements can enhance the knowledge of geochemical dispersions. The associations identified based on the frequency and spatial distribution parameters are different from those obtained by conventional cluster analysis. Spatial distribution characteristics cannot be neglected when investigating the distribution patterns of geochemical elements and their associations. The findings can enhance the knowledge of the geochemical dispersion in the study area and might benefit the following-up mineral exploration.