Tellus soil geochemistry : quality assessment and map production of ICP data

Soil samples (surface‘A’ and deep ‘S’) were collected across Northern Ireland during the Tellus Project, 2004-7 according to the G-BASE protocol. The results of analyses ‘A’ samples analysed by XRFS were previously published in 2007. Both ‘A’ and ‘S’ samples were also analysed by ICP, using aqua regia digests and the ‘S’ samples by multi-acid (‘near-total’) digest. The quality assurance process applied to these analyses and the results are presented here. Almost all the ICP data fell within acceptable experimental errors in the context of controls provided by Certified Reference Materials and replicate samples. Minor discrepancies are noted.