Google Earth-aided visualization and interpretation of geochemical survey data

Geochemical prospecting is an important and effective approach for discovering mineral deposits. Collection, management, visualization, interpretation, modelling and publishing of geochemical survey data remain challenging. The main aim of this study is to illustrate the application of Google Earth in the visualization and interpretation of geochemical survey data using a dataset collected from the Daqiao district, Gansu Province, China. Google Earth, a free web-based program that provides a rich set of global images along with satellite and map data, can be applied to design geochemical sampling strategies, display geochemical sampling location landscapes, collect and manage geochemical survey data, visualize and publish 0D (point), 1D (profile), 2D (raster map) and 3D (superposition of multiple maps) geochemical maps, and interpret and model geochemical patterns using various Google Earth functions and the Keyhole Markup Language. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Applications of Innovations in Geochemical Data Analysis collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/applications-of-innovations-in-geochemical-data-analysis