Weighted drainage catchment basin mapping of geochemical anomalies using stream sediment data for mineral potential modeling

In stream sediment geochemical exploration, anomalies can be recognized by ‘undiluting’ concentrations of indicator elements in every stream sediment sample catchment basin (SCB) as a function of topographic, geomorphologic, and geologic factors. However, this SCB modeling, like contour mapping, of stream sediment geochemical anomalies depends on sampling locations and sampling density. These arbitrary aspects of stream sediment sampling can render SCB or contour mapping of stream sediment anomalies inefficient. In this paper, instead of evaluating the relative exploration importance of each sample per SCB, we evaluated the relative exploration importance of samples per natural drainage catchment basin (DCB). Accordingly, we developed a new fuzzy weighting scheme for each DCB based on the distribution of anomalous and background samples in each DCB. In this new approach of weighted drainage catchment basin (WDCB) mapping of stream sediment geochemical anomalies, individual DCBs are given fuzzy weights representing their relative importance for prospecting the deposit-type sought. Hence, a map of WDCB can be used directly as a geochemical evidence layer in fuzzy-based mineral prospectivity mapping. In this regard, we demonstrated that the prediction rate of prospectivity map obtained by using WDCB approach with respect to known mineral deposit occurrences is higher than that of prospectivity map obtained by using a SCB or contour map.

► A new mapping approach, weighted drainage catchment basin (WDCB), is proposed.
► WDCB is proposed instead of sample catchment basin and contour map.
► WDCB improves mapping complex anomaly patterns and increases the prediction rate.
► WDCB increases the coincidence of geochemical anomalies with geological features.
► It reduces the strong dependence of existing mapping methods on sampling scheme.