geochémia

Geochémia is the scientific field that studies the chemical composition of the Earth and other celestial bodies, as well as the processes that control the distribution and abundance of chemical elements and their isotopes. It bridges geology and chemistry, investigating the origins, migration, and transformations of elements within the Earth's crust, mantle, and core, as well as in the atmosphere and oceans.

Geochemists analyze rocks, minerals, soils, water, and gases to understand the Earth's history, its internal structure, and the cycles of elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. This includes studying how elements are incorporated into minerals during rock formation, how they are transported by geological processes such as weathering and erosion, and how they are recycled through plate tectonics and volcanic activity.

The principles of geochémia are applied in various fields, including the exploration for natural resources like metals and fossil fuels, environmental science for pollution monitoring and remediation, and the study of climate change by analyzing past atmospheric compositions. Furthermore, cosmochemistry, a related discipline, extends these principles to understand the chemical makeup of the solar system and the universe.