The determination of sampling and analytical errors in exploration geochemistry

Abstract

Analytical precision may be less important than sampling error as a factor governing whether or not errors are significantly smaller than overall data variability. Identical treatment of original and replicate samples, and collection of replicate samples at some 10 percent, but at least 30, of the sample sites of a survey should provide enough information to determine whether or not variability represents relevant information or has a significant chance of being due to a combination of sampling and analytical errors.