Origin of skewed frequency distribution of regional geochemical data from stream sediments and a data processing method

Regional geochemical data generally follow a skewed frequency distribution, which are mainly derived from mixing of multiple populations. The influence of multiple populations dominantly originates from the difference in regional lithology background. In areas with variable lithologies, if the multiple populations are not separated in frequency distribution, serious errors will be made in later statistical interpretation. In this paper, a method is proposed to separate multiple populations in frequency distribution.110