Knights, K.V. and Glennon, M.M. (2013) Tellus Border Project Geochemistry Data User Guide Version 1. Geological Survey of Ireland and Geological Survey of Northern Ireland Joint Report.
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The Tellus Border geochemical field survey collected samples of soil, stream water and stream sediment from approximately 7,000 locations across the border region in 2011–2012. These samples have been chemically analysed to investigate the baseline or background environmental concentrations of a range of inorganic chemical elements and chemical parameters. This geochemical survey will help geologists and environmental scientists to better understand how chemical elements are naturally distributed in the surface environment of the northern region of Ireland. The data have a wide range of applications and uses including:
- Helping geologists to characterise the nature of rocks and minerals beneath the Earth’s surface;
- Applications for improved land management and agriculture, such as understanding where trace elements and micronutrients may be deficient or excessive;
- Investigating potential ecological, animal and human health risks, such as potentially harmful elements in soil and water;
- Underpinning environmental policy and feeding into improved regulatory frameworks.
The Tellus Border geochemical baseline survey provides a snapshot in time, against which future environmental change and impacts on soil, sediment and water may be measured and mapped.