geokemiya

Geokimiya, or geochemistry, is the science that studies the chemical composition of the Earth and the processes that govern the distribution of chemical elements within rocks, minerals, soils, water, and the atmosphere. It seeks to understand where elements originate, how they migrate, and why their abundances vary across space and time. The field covers the crust, mantle, oceans, and soils, and extends to planetary geochemistry for other bodies such as the Moon and Mars. Geokimiya examines how geological processes such as crystallization, melting, metamorphism, weathering, erosion, sedimentation, hydrothermal activity, and plate tectonics control element distribution and isotope systematics, and how chemical cycles interconnect the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

Methods in geokimiya include laboratory and field analyses to determine major, trace, and rare earth element concentrations and isotope ratios. Common techniques are X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), emission spectroscopy, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Rigorous sampling, calibration, and quality control are essential components of reliable geochemical data. Isotopic data are frequently used to infer formation conditions, ages, sources, and environmental processes.

Applications of geokimiya span mineral exploration, environmental geochemistry (pollution assessment and remediation), groundwater and soil studies, and studies of climate and hydrological cycles through isotopic tracers. The discipline also contributes to marine chemistry and, in planetary science, to the interpretation of extraterrestrial material. Geokimiya has evolved as a core interdisciplinary field alongside geology, hydrology, and environmental science.