This book discusses potential mineral belts in various geotectonic regions around the globe, with a particular focus on concealed deposits, in order to highlight new areas for geochemical exploration and modelling. In recent years, the application of statistical methods using qualitative and, wherever possible, quantitative earth science data has become increasingly common for the evaluation of both offshore and terrestrial mineral resources. The book examines these approaches and provides examples from India, which are also applicable to deposits around the world, particularly those in South and South East Asia.
The main objective of geochemical exploration and modelling is to present the geometry of the deposit in three dimensions. As such, the book describes the various conventional and non-conventional techniques of exploration geochemistry, especially in the context of concealed terrestrial and offshore mineral deposits. It serves as a guide for fieldgeologists, geochemists, students, research scholars and scientists interested in earth science for the exploration of concealed mineral deposits and evaluation of their resources.
Dr. Ashoke K. Talapatra holds a Ph.D (1967) from Calcutta University, and was the Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India. He has conducted systematic geological mapping, second-generation mapping, and geochemical exploration for base metal sulphides and other mineral deposits, as well as R&D work on geochemical exploration techniques. He has also supervised the computer-based data processing of various marine cruises. A specialist in geochemical exploration techniques applicable for concealed mineral deposits, Dr. Talapatra has participated in various training courses on ‘Mineral Deposit Modelling’ conducted by the Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad. He has attended a number of national and international seminars, and workshops, and chaired numerous technical sessions.
Dr. Talapatra was awarded the Geological, Mining & Metallurgical Society Medal in 1963 and the Prof. N.N. Chatterjee Medal by Asiatic Society in 1969. He was involved in a DST Book WritingProject at Presidency College, Kolkata, between January 2002 and December 2004. In 2014, the Mining, Geological & Metallurgical Institute of India awarded him a bronze medal for his paper “Rare Earth, Rare Metal and Other Important Mineral Resources of Purulia-Bankura Area, West Bengal – Some New Approaches.” He has also worked on a project on rejuvenation of the Adi Ganga south of Kolkata and jointly authored a book published this year by the Calcutta University Geology Alumni Association.
