River red gums as a biogeochemical sampling medium in mineral exploration and environmental chemistry programs in the Curnamona Craton and adjacent regions of NSW and SA

INTRODUCTION River red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) are one of the most widely distributed tree species within Australia and in particular the Curnamona Craton and adjacent regions (Figure 1), where they mostly occur along riparian zones of large alluvial channel systems. In these regolith-landform settings, regional mineral exploration and environmental chemistry sampling programs have traditionally focussed on sampling either: stream sediments, groundwater, soils, or else drilling to the underlying bedrock. This study investigates developing the use of river red gum organs in these sampling programs and considers some of the advantages of this over the use of more traditional sampling media. If river red gums can be developed as a mineral exploration and environmental chemistry sampling medium they may have many varied applications in regolith-dominated terrains including: mineral exploration along sedimentary basin margins; as an expression of shallow aquifer hydrogeochemistry in areas with potential salinity hazards; and, in regional biogeochemical baseline surveys.