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EDITOR’S FOREWORD

In this volume John Carranza not only offers a comprehensive review of the current
state-of-the-art of processing geochemical data, their integration with complementary
geodata sets and multivariate data analysis using spatial statistics to create maps
enhanced for mineral exploration, but also brings the Handbook series to something of a
milestone. This marks the first volume in which the topic of an earlier volume (Vol. 2)
is in effect revisited and updated; though the approach and format are – appropriately –
entirely fresh.
Part I of the volume (chapters 1-2) introduces the concepts and methods of handling
spatial data in a geographical information system for the purpose of predictive modeling
for mineral exploration. Part II (chapters 3-5) looks in detail at geochemical data and
how they are analyzed, classified, synthesized and attributed to catchment basins prior to
their application in predictive modeling. Part III (chapters 6-8) begins by emphasising
the importance of additional relevant spatial information and culminates in predictive
modeling of mineral prospectivity by means of a range of knowledge-driven and data-
driven methods. Throughout the volume there is a wealth of well-illustrated real-world
examples. The author admirably demonstrates modern approaches to data analysis and
interpretation in mineral exploration in ways which exploration professionals can
appreciate and adapt to their exploration programmes.
This volume is the first in the series to go to press after the death in 2007 of John S
Webb, whose achievements and influence in exploration and environmental
geochemistry did much to lay the foundations for the series. In the 1950s he established
the Geochemical Prospecting Research Centre at Imperial College, London, where his
pioneering work in exploration geochemistry was soon extended to regional geochemical
mapping and environmental geochemistry (leading to the centre being renamed the
Applied Geochemistry Research Group). Many destined later to be closely associated
with the Handbook series were Webb’s PhD students or colleagues at Imperial College:
K Fletcher (Vol. 1); Richard Howarth (Vol. 2); Gerry Govett (Vol. 3, series founder and
series editor Vols. 1-7); Charles Butt (Vol. 4); Martin Hale (Vols. 6-7 and series editor
Vols. 8-11); and Colin Dunn (Vol. 9). In authoring Volume 11, John Carranza, being a
former PhD student (and now professional colleague) of Martin Hale, has extended this
tradition into the third generation.
Having in some ways brought the series full circle, Volume 11 also shows that
geochemical data now constitute just one of several types of data brought together and
analyzed together using geographical information systems to yield information to guide
mineral exploration. The Handbook series has amply fulfilled Gerry Govett’s original
vision of thoroughly documenting the value of exploration and environmental