Geochemical mapping based on regularly spaced composite stream sediment samples produced from stored aliquots - State of Paraná Pre-Cambrian shield, Brazil

A collection of 6,587 active stream sediment samples covering about 4,800 km2 in the Paraná Shield, southern Brazil was used to produce 75 composite samples each representing a 5’ x 5’ cell. The original samples were retrieved from the archives of the Geological Service of Paraná MINEROPAR and the Geological Service of Brazil SGB / CPRM. The composite samples were submitted to four analytical methods with the determination of 66 elements. Geochemical maps of the isolated elements along with bivariate correlation analysis showed six associations between elements, each representing specific lithologies and at least one area with high exploratory potential, which was previously unknown given the small amount of elements analyzed in the original samples. The geochemical maps were produced either by cell classification (pixel maps) or by the application of the minimum