Integration of fractal modeling and correspondence analysis reconnaissance for geochemically high-potential promising areas, NE Iran

•Correspondence analysis is one of the multivariate statistical techniques that applies to categorical rather than continuous data.•Similarly to principal component analysis, correspondence analysis provides a means of displaying or summarizing a set of data in 2D graphical form.•Fractal geometry describes the “texture” of a surface. A “fractal” object has an intermediate dimensionality; the higher the fractal dimension, the finer and “rougher” the texture.•Integrating the correspondence analysis and fractal method, fluvial sediment sampling have been considered to produce elemental distribution anomaly maps. Most geochemical and geostatistical analysis in mining exploration requires removing regional trends in order to obtain local anomalies. In this paper, stream sediment samples, which collected from Khusf area (NE Iran), was studied based on Concentration-Area (C-A) fractal model as well as correspondence analysis methods to find high-potential areas elements. Correspondence analysis with 170 samples through 20 elements concentration values in each sample was performed. According to correspondence analysis, among one or several elements in the study area, local anomalies were separated which the highest concentration relates to the variables Pb, As, and Cd elements. After the correspondence analysis, the best variogram for the Khusf area was studied. Elemental concentration maps was then produced through estimating the values using kriging method. Therefore, using the fractal method, between three statistical sets of elements, it was concluded that the third set showed the anomaly for Pb, As, and Cd elements with local anomaly values respectively determined as 55, 7.2, and 0.88 ppm. Although Cd element is not genetically related to same source of Pb and As, utilizing integrated approach, Cd anomalies has also been detected in the area as a promising element zone. Finally, it is suggested that this region has the possibility of Basic Metals occurrence and suggests further geophysical operations on a local identification scale.