Geochemical mapping and estimation of background concentrations in soils of Carajás mineral province, eastern Amazonian Craton, Brazil

Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais (CPRM, the Brazilian geological survey) has carried out geochemical surveys focused on the Carajas region, the largest mineral province in Brazil. One of these surveys covered the area of Canaa dos Carajas, where 257 soil samples, including 32 duplicate samples, were collected from the B-horizon of soils within an area of c. 3500 km 2 . The σ technique. The influence of the geogenic contribution in the study area is largely dominant over anthropogenic effects. There is no conclusive evidence of contamination related to human activity at the time when the geochemical survey was carried out. This paper provides multi-element geochemical maps and background values in the most prominent Brazilian mining province.