Geochemical exploration aims to find substances beneath the Earth’s surface, including gas, oil, ores, coal, and metal ores. It involves drilling and is highly regulated. Petroleum products, plastics, gold, silver, copper, gemstones, coal, and uranium are products of geochemical exploration. Preliminary tests can be conducted with low environmental impact, but drilling is necessary to determine the presence of assets. This phase is tightly regulated due to potential risks and controversy surrounding resource extraction.
A geochemical exploration is a research initiative in which the goal is to determine the presence of substances commonly found beneath the earth’s surface. Common substances involved in such explorations include gas, oil and petroleum along with ores, coal and metal ores. Most of these explorations ultimately involve drilling into the Earth at one or more test sites. In some areas of the world, geochemical exploration is highly controversial and, in most places, it is highly regulated.
Many of the substances that people use on a daily basis are made from substances found in the Earth. The most obvious example is gasoline for cars. Petroleum products are also used in the manufacture of plastics, which are found in product packaging, kitchenware, toys, jewelry, and a host of other common household products. Other products of geochemical exploration include gold, silver, copper, gemstones, coal and uranium.
It would be extremely expensive to simply start drilling anywhere a geochemical asset is suspected to be present and, in most cases, would be a waste of time and money. Such an action is not allowed in most places, in any case. Instead, an exploratory mission is conducted to determine whether drilling is likely to lead to the capture of the desired resource.
The initial stages of geochemical exploration can often be conducted with a low level of environmental and atmospheric impact. The plants, water and soil within the exploration area can often provide indicators of the underlying geochemical resources. Chemists can conduct a variety of tests to find out the presence of these indicators. They can also test rocks, gasses expelled into the air, and sediments in streams or lakes for the presence of certain chemical anomalies that indicate the presence of the resources they are looking for.
Once the preliminary tests are complete, however, the only real way to determine if the assets are there is to test the drill. It is this phase of geochemical exploration that is the most tightly regulated by government and environmental bodies. Accidents can happen, and the results can have a serious impact across a wide geographic radius. Such drilling usually only needs to be done with the appropriate permits in place and using strictly controlled methods and procedures.
The degree of risk involved in trial drilling also makes the procedure controversial. Some believe the potential risks are too high to justify the rewards, while others believe the opposite. In some areas of the world, miners are essentially treated like slaves, another contributing factor to the controversy over geochemical exploration and subsequent resource extraction.
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