A note on the history and literature of geochemical exploration

The widespread belief that 20th-century geochemical prospecting ‘originated’ in the old world and spread to the United States after 1945 is, at best, highly debatable. A largescale groundwater hydrogeochemical exploration survey was undertaken in Texas and Louisiana in the early 1920's. Boltman (1904) and Lester (1918) described early studies of spring waters associated with uranium ores in the United States. These can perhaps be regarded as forms of orientation surveys. There are now about 2000–3000 literature items dealing with groundwater hydrogeochemical exploration, and the total number of articles from all branches of geochemical prospecting is probably approaching 30,000.