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Recent Advances in Geochemistry
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Recent Advances in Geochemistry

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 3383

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ningqiang Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Interests: geochemical exploration; medical geochemistry; complex of ore-forming system and geological system; geostatistics
Prof. Dr. Qingjie Gong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Interests: exploration; weathering; elemental behaviors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The 10th National Conference on Applied Geochemistry in China will be held in Kunming, Yunnan Province, on 1–3 November and hosted by the Committee of Applied Geochemistry, Chinese Society for Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry (CSMPG). This Special Issue is dedicated to facilitating academic exchanges of geochemistry through the presentation of recent advances and new applications in this field.

This Special Issue will publish high-quality original research papers covering the following topics:

  • Geochemical exploration and geochemical survey;
  • Environmental geochemistry;
  • Agricultural and ecological geochemistry;
  • Geochemistry and human health;
  • Geochemistry of rocks and mineral deposits;
  • Health geology;
  • Applied geochemistry in other social services;
  • Application of big data in geochemistry.

Dr. Ningqiang Liu
Prof. Dr. Qingjie Gong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • resource prospecting
  • element behavior and migration mechanism
  • ecological risk assessment
  • geo-health
  • source tracing

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4769 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Selenium-Enriched Crop Zones in Xiaoyan Town Using Fuzzy Logic and Machine Learning Approaches
by Jiacheng Li, Shuyun Xie, Wenbing Yang, Weihang Zhou, Emmanuel John M. Carranza, Weiji Wen and Hongtao Shi
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 4943; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15094943 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
Selenium-rich foods play a crucial role in human health and hold significant economic value for agricultural products. However, many regions in China are experiencing selenium deficiency, which has led to an increased demand for Se-rich agricultural products. This study focused on Nanzhang County, [...] Read more.
Selenium-rich foods play a crucial role in human health and hold significant economic value for agricultural products. However, many regions in China are experiencing selenium deficiency, which has led to an increased demand for Se-rich agricultural products. This study focused on Nanzhang County, a key area within the “Organic Valley” of Hubei Province, China. We employed fuzzy weights-of-evidence, backpropagation neural network, and support vector regression models to predict optimal planting zones for Selenium-rich crops. A comparative analysis indicated that the backpropagation neural network model provided the highest prediction accuracy (R2 = 0.77), identifying Selenium-rich crop zones covering 68.87% of the aera, where Selenium-rich crops made up 86.67% of all samples. Notably, the backpropagation neural network yielded excellent performance for rice and rapeseed, with R2 values of 0.95 and 0.99, respectively. The findings also indicate that the Selenium content in crops is closely linked to Selenium levels in the soil and is significantly influenced by synergistic and antagonistic interactions with other elements. This study provides scientific support for the cultivation of selenium-rich crops. It plays a positive role in promoting the development of the local selenium-rich industry and the sustainable utilization of soil selenium resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Geochemistry)
15 pages, 2521 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Holocene Sea Level Rise and the Opening of the Qiongzhou Strait on the Provenance of Sediments in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea
by Zhenang Cui and Yueming Hou
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 4224; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15084224 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 186
Abstract
The opening of the Qiongzhou Strait during the Holocene was a significant geological event in the Beibu Gulf, profoundly influencing sediment provenance and ocean circulation systems. Due to the scarcity of geological records documenting this event, the understanding of regional Holocene sedimentary evolution [...] Read more.
The opening of the Qiongzhou Strait during the Holocene was a significant geological event in the Beibu Gulf, profoundly influencing sediment provenance and ocean circulation systems. Due to the scarcity of geological records documenting this event, the understanding of regional Holocene sedimentary evolution has been constrained. To investigate the impact of this event on sediment provenance and ocean currents in the Beibu Gulf, geochemical analyses were conducted on sediment core SO-31 retrieved from the South China Sea. The sediments in core SO-31 were stratigraphically divided into three units based on vertical geochemical profiles, reflecting changes in sea level and shifts in sediment provenance within the study area. The Th/Cr vs. Th/Sc scatter plot for core SO-31 indicate that sedimentary materials primarily originated from the Red River during 11,400–7700 a BP, and a significant change in provenance occurred in the study region around 7700 a BP, characterized by increased contributions from the Qiongzhou Strait and decreased contributions from the Red River. This suggests that the opening of the Qiongzhou Strait significantly influenced the sediment supply to the central Beibu Gulf around 7700 a BP. These findings provide critical geochemical evidence for studying the Qiongzhou Strait opening event and enhance our understanding of Holocene sedimentary evolution and “source–sink” transitions in the Beibu Gulf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Geochemistry)
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16 pages, 4489 KiB  
Article
A Thermodynamic Model for the Solubility of SO2 in Multi-Ion Electrolyte Solutions and Its Applications
by Baoyi Feng, Zequn Zhang, Mei Xu and Shide Mao
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3927; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073927 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 172
Abstract
A solubility model of SO2 in multi-ion electrolyte solutions has been developed by the activity-fugacity relation at vapor-liquid equilibria. The fugacity coefficient of SO2 in the vapor phase is calculated by the equation of state (EOS) of pure SO2, [...] Read more.
A solubility model of SO2 in multi-ion electrolyte solutions has been developed by the activity-fugacity relation at vapor-liquid equilibria. The fugacity coefficient of SO2 in the vapor phase is calculated by the equation of state (EOS) of pure SO2, and the activity coefficient of SO2 in the liquid phase is calculated by the Pitzer activity coefficient theory. The model can reproduce the reliable solubility data of SO2 in pure water and multi-ion electrolyte solutions (Na+, K+, Cl−, SO42−) within or close to experimental uncertainties. Although the second-order and third-order interaction parameters between SO2 and Mg2+ and Ca2+ have been adopted by an approximation, the solubility model can also be extended to predict the SO2 solubility in seawater. In addition, combining with the EOS of a CO2-SO2 fluid mixture, the model can be used to predict the solubility of a CO2-SO2 mixture in aqueous electrolyte solutions. The calculated results are consistent with experimental data, which indicates that the solubility model has certain predictive ability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Geochemistry)
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29 pages, 27225 KiB  
Article
Paleo-Asian Ocean Ridge Subduction: Evidence from Volcanic Rocks in the Fuyun–Qinghe Area, Southern Margin of the Chinese Altay
by Jixu Liu, Cui Liu, Qing Liu, Zhaohua Luo, Yong Liu, Chenghao Zhou, Xu Guo, Xianghui Yu and Miao Wang
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3736; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073736 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 166
Abstract
The Chinese Altay is located in the western segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and preserves critical records of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) Plate evolution during the Paleozoic era. This region also hosts significant mineral deposits, making it a focal point [...] Read more.
The Chinese Altay is located in the western segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and preserves critical records of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) Plate evolution during the Paleozoic era. This region also hosts significant mineral deposits, making it a focal point for geological research. In this paper, field investigation, petrology, mineralogy, and petrography studies were conducted on volcanic rocks in the Fuyun–Qinghe area, southern margin of the Chinese Altay, and the paper provided new zircon LA-ICP-MS dating data, Lu-Hf isotope data, and whole-rock geochemical data of the basaltic to andesitic volcanic rocks. Thus, the formation age, petrogenesis, and tectonic setting of these rocks were discussed, which was of great significance to reveal the nature of the PAO Plate. The findings showed that the basaltic andesitic volcanic breccia was formed at 382.9 ± 3.4 Ma, the basalt was 401.7 ± 4.7 Ma, and the andesites were 405.1 ± 5.6 Ma and 404.8 ± 6.7 Ma, which indicated that the above rocks were formed in the Early–Middle Devonian. The volcanic rock assemblages were hawaiite, mugearite, potassic trachybasalt, basaltic andesite, andesite, benmoreite, etc., which contained labeled magmatic rocks such as adakite, sub-boninite, niobium-enriched arc basalt (NEAB), picrite, high-magnesium andesite (HMA), and magnesium andesite (MA). Comprehensive analysis indicated that magma probably mainly originated from three sources: (1) partial melting of the PAO slab, (2) partial melting of the overlying garnet–spinel lherzolite mantle peridotite metasomatized by subducting-related fluids (melts), and (3) a possible input of the asthenosphere. Comparative analysis with modern analogs (e.g., Chile Triple Junction) indicates that ridge subduction of the PAO had existed in the Fuyun–Qinghe area during the Early–Middle Devonian. Based on available evidence, we tentatively named the oceanic plates in this region the central Fuyun–Qinghe Ridge and the Junggar Ocean Plates, separated by the ridge on both sides. Although the ocean had a certain scale, it had entered the climax period of transition from ocean to continent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Geochemistry)
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14 pages, 2803 KiB  
Article
Risk Assessment of Soil Heavy Metals in the Jiahe River Basin of Yantai City, China
by Xizhuo Chen, Pengfei Zhao, Jiaxin Huang, Jun Liu, Xiaoli Cao, Jing Che, Hui Liao, Xiaolong Zhu and Qingjie Gong
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15010070 - 25 Dec 2024
Viewed by 679
Abstract
The issues related to soil environmental contamination caused by heavy metals have garnered increasing attention. In particular, the soil pollution risk in the eastern coastal regions of China has attracted widespread concern. This study surveyed heavy metals in the soils near the Jiahe [...] Read more.
The issues related to soil environmental contamination caused by heavy metals have garnered increasing attention. In particular, the soil pollution risk in the eastern coastal regions of China has attracted widespread concern. This study surveyed heavy metals in the soils near the Jiahe River Basin of Yantai City in Shandong Province, China. A total of 213 soils were sampled and analyzed for 12 items: Cr, Hg, As, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Co, V, Mn, and pH. The 11 heavy metals were evaluated using the national standard GB15618-2018, with three risk levels of background, screening, and intervention, and using pollution indices, including the contamination factor (Cf), ecological risk factor (Er), enrichment factor (EF), and index of geo-accumulation (Igeo), with different respective risk levels. The results indicate a strong consistency between the evaluations both for the index Igeo and for GB15618-2018 on five metals (i.e., Cr, Hg, As, Pb, and Cd). Therefore, the index Igeo may serve as a supplementary indicator for assessing the pollution risks of heavy metals in agricultural soils regarding samples of Cu, Ni, and Zn that exceed the screening values in GB15618-2018, as well as for Co, V, and Mn, which have not yet been established in GB15618-2018. According to the three-level classification of risk in GB15618-2018, the seven commonly used levels of the index Igeo are also incorporated into the three levels of background, screening, and intervention. The overall pollution risk of 11 heavy metals in the soils of the Jiahe River Basin of Yantai City belongs to the background level. Specifically, Hg and Pb in the total area are classified at the background level. Manganese, V, Co, Zn, Ni, and Cr are recognized at the screening level sporadically, while Cu, As, and Cd are found at the screening level in small areas. No areas within the region are classified at the intervention level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Geochemistry)
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24 pages, 9104 KiB  
Article
Preliminary XRF Analysis of Coal Ash from Jurassic and Carboniferous Coals at Five Kazakh Mines: Industrial and Environmental Comparisons
by Medet Junussov and Sezim Mustapayeva
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(22), 10586; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210586 - 17 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1100
Abstract
This study analyzes 105 coal ash samples from Jurassic and Carboniferous coals from five mines in Kazakhstan, Lenin, Saradyr, Bogatyr, Maikuben, and Shubarkol, focusing on the inorganic elemental compositions, their occurrence, and industrial and environmental implications. Methods include coal ash yield and volatile [...] Read more.
This study analyzes 105 coal ash samples from Jurassic and Carboniferous coals from five mines in Kazakhstan, Lenin, Saradyr, Bogatyr, Maikuben, and Shubarkol, focusing on the inorganic elemental compositions, their occurrence, and industrial and environmental implications. Methods include coal ash yield and volatile matter analysis, mineralogical characterization via low-temperature ash X-ray diffraction (LTA-XRD), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). High-temperature ash (HTA) was analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), highlighting XRF’s potential for rapid multi-elemental analysis. Nine major elements (Al, Si, P, S, Fe, K, Ca, and Ti) and eleven trace elements (As, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, V, Ga, Mn, Ni, Y, Yb, and Zr) were identified in HTA samples through EDXRF. SEM and dendrogram analysis confirm their co-occurrence with quartz, kaolinite, pyrite, and accessory minerals such as chalcopyrite, zircon, rutile, and REE-bearing apatite. The elemental content of samples enhances industrial suitability by reducing emissions. Only Yb shows slight enrichment for economic benefits, along with La, Ce, and Nd, while concentrations of potentially toxic elements indicate minimal environmental risk. EDXRF demonstrates its efficiency for large-scale investigations, with all samples analyzed in a few days using automated overnight measurements. This approach shows promise for future studies focusing on trace elements, including REE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Geochemistry)
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