Main Patterns of Geochemistry of Phosphorus

Abstract

The paper presents the main conclusions of the Russian monograph “Geochemistry of Phosphorus” (2020). Based on statistical processing of ~6100 sample averages (from ~190,000 analyses), new estimations of World averages (Clarke values) for Р2O5, % (and P, %), phosphorus-titanium module (P2О5/TiO2), phosphorus-calcium module (P2O5/CaO), phosphorus-iron module (P2О5/Fe2O3), and phosphorus-total iron module (P2O5/Fe2O3 + FeO). Many estimates have been made for the first time. In addition to the new Clarke estimates, sometimes very different from previous ones, the work carried out has led to a number of new conclusions. In particular, the titanium geochemical barrier for phosphorus has been first estimated, all the 11 genotypes of phosphogenesis have been named and characterized, five genetic correlations of phosphogenesis have been described, lithochemistry methods have been successfully applied to characterize the phosphorites. Due to the large breadth of generalization, the monograph has a large theoretical and applied value.