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As a cross-disciplinary scientific domain, a great deal of research on landscape geochemistry has been conducted since its establishment. However, the used methods lack the ability of revealing the relationships of landscape geochemistry with other sciences, and the obtained knowledge is thus fragmented and isolated. In this study, the state-of-the-art regarding the applications of relatively new geospatial technologies including fractal theory, geographic information system and remote sensing to landscape geochemistry was reviewed and analyzed to provide deep insights of current research and a roadmap for furthering the development of landscape geochemistry as a cross-disciplinary discipline. The results showed that substantial research on the applications of fractal theory, GIS and RS technologies for analyzing the processes and data of landscape geochemistry has been conducted by using the advantages of the geospatial technologies. However, the great challenges still exist when the geospatial technologies were individually utilized due to the limitations of the technologies themselves and the complexity of landscape geochemistry. In the end, opportunities and challenges for advancing the further studies of landscape geochemistry were discussed in detail and new directions of studying landscape geochemistry using multidisciplinary or integrated approaches to enhance understanding the relationships among the relevant disciplines were suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly reviews the application of geoinformatics in exploration geochemistry from the perspective of spatial analysis and visualization, and demonstrates the advantages of geoinformatics in exploring geochemical patterns and identifying geochemical anomalies. In particular, the application of geoinformatics to geochemical mapping, recognition of geochemical anomalies and simulation of geochemical patterns are discussed. The benefits of geoinformatics include: (1) overlay of geochemical data on a geological map, which helps geochemists to understand spatial geochemical patterns and visualize geochemical anomalies; (2) local neighbourhood spatial analysis, which considers the local spatial structure of geochemical patterns, as a powerful tool to identify weak geochemical anomalies; and (3) geochemical patterns simulation based on geological constrains, which helps to understand geological processes. Future researches should focus on development and application of various functions for processing geochemical data in a GIS to promote the progress of geoinformatics in both geochemical exploration and environmental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Robust neighborhood statistics, such as median, median absolute deviation (MAD), and local relative enrichment index (LREI), were used to model spatial variations of geochemical landscapes and to recognize weak geochemical anomalies in covered terrane by means of a case study from the Chaobuleng Fe polymetallic district covered by grassland, in Inner Mongolia (China). The results of this study show that: (1) the robust neighborhood statistics of median and MAD can well discriminate between different geochemical landscapes (with outcrop areas characterized by high values of Fe2O3, and the covered areas linked with a low value of Fe2O3) and delineate the boundaries between the outcrop and covered areas; (2) the LREI can reduce the effects of covers such as soils and grassland on geochemical mapping and identify the weak geochemical anomalies caused by decaying and masking effects of covers; and also (3) the resulting neighborhood statistics are influenced by the size of neighborhood. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]