Version 1
: Received: 22 August 2024 / Approved: 22 August 2024 / Online: 23 August 2024 (09:07:38 CEST)
How to cite:
Vilanova, V.; Ohtani, T.; Kojima, S.; Yatabe, K.; Moniz, E. Geochemical Characteristics of Modern River-Sand and Its Bearing on the Mineral Exploration in the Manufahi Area, Timor-Leste. Preprints2024, 2024081641. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1641.v1
Vilanova, V.; Ohtani, T.; Kojima, S.; Yatabe, K.; Moniz, E. Geochemical Characteristics of Modern River-Sand and Its Bearing on the Mineral Exploration in the Manufahi Area, Timor-Leste. Preprints 2024, 2024081641. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1641.v1
Vilanova, V.; Ohtani, T.; Kojima, S.; Yatabe, K.; Moniz, E. Geochemical Characteristics of Modern River-Sand and Its Bearing on the Mineral Exploration in the Manufahi Area, Timor-Leste. Preprints2024, 2024081641. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1641.v1
APA Style
Vilanova, V., Ohtani, T., Kojima, S., Yatabe, K., & Moniz, E. (2024). Geochemical Characteristics of Modern River-Sand and Its Bearing on the Mineral Exploration in the Manufahi Area, Timor-Leste. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1641.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Vilanova, V., Kazuma Yatabe and Elizario Moniz. 2024 "Geochemical Characteristics of Modern River-Sand and Its Bearing on the Mineral Exploration in the Manufahi Area, Timor-Leste" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1641.v1
Abstract
Geochemical mapping of river sands in the Manufahi area of Timor-Leste revealed potential areas for future mineral exploration. River sand samples from the study area were collected and geochemically analyzed to identify anomalous concentration distributions of several valuable elements and locate potential target areas and geological formations that may host mineral deposits. The 26 major and minor elements were identified using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. The river sands exhibited varying elemental concentrations, with Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ba showing deviations from the normal distribution patterns. Identification of geochemical anomalies is an important task in mineral exploration geochemistry. The mean + 2 standard deviations (mean+2STD), median + 2 median absolute deviations (median+2MAD), and Tukeyâs inner fence (TIF) methods were used to determine the geochemical thresholds. This study shows that TIF and principal component analysis (PCA) methods are highly effective in calculating appropriate threshold values and identifying relevant elemental associations. These approaches have proven useful for delineating target areas for mineral deposits, resulting in reliable outcomes. Four predicted target areas with high potential for deposits and mineralization anomalies of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Ba were delineated in the study area.
Keywords
Manufahi area; Timor-Leste; river sands; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis; geochemical anomaly; statistical analysis; mineralization; mineral exploration
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Geochemistry and Petrology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.