Considerations regarding the definition of a geochemical baseline of elements in the surficial materials in areas differing in basic geology

The problem of a geochemical baseline in areas differing in basic geology was studied by comparing the results of regional geochemical mapping programmes undertaken in Finland and Lithuania using different sample media and a variety of analytical methods. The authors discuss issues relevant to the definition of a geochemical baseline. Most of the differences in geochemical baselines between Lithuania and Finland are due to the dissimilarities in basic geology, which in Lithuania is controlled by Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, but in Finland by Archaean and Proterozoic metamorphic and intrusive rocks. Other important factors are the geological processes that after the last glaciation created the present surficial materials. In Finland, for instance, the abundances of potentially harmful elements derived from crystalline bedrock tend to be higher than in Lithuania. However, in both countries element concentrations are higher in finely-grained marine and lacustrine sediments than in glacial till, and they are also higher in the finer grain size fractions than in the coarser fractions of till samples. Only a small proportion of the total heavy metal concentrations is bioavailable. Thus the baseline concentrations depend not only on the basic geology, but also on sample material collected, its grain size and the extraction method. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.