China and UNESCO have recently teamed up to launch a project aimed at creating a global geochemical map, China Daily reported.
The venture eyes to provide data that will help in addressing resource shortage and pollution-related issues.
According to the Ministry of Land and Resources' China Geological Survey, the initiative will lay out the distribution of 92 elements naturally found in Earth's air, water and soil.
The map is expected to "affect scientific decisions on the environment and resources," the article noted. Land and resources minister Jiang Daming compared the project to drawing the human genome.
Under the agreement, the Hebei-headquartered International Center for Global-scale Geochemistry will be the project's base. Its role includes providing real-time scientific data and research.
Wang Xueqiu, the center's deputy director, revealed that under the plan, the Earth's land will be proportioned into a 18,000-square grid. Then researchers will gather data in each square's chemical component via analysis and monitoring methods.
Wang further said that the project "will also assess resource distribution, heavy metal pollution and radioactive risks in the environment."
Such assessment is seen beneficial in making scientific decisions relevant both to economic and social development. The endeavor aims to cover 50 elements in 50 percent of the Earth's land by 2021. The data is targeted to become available through a unified platform.
Li Jinfa, China's geological survey deputy head, noted that the country has been providing "solid data through ongoing geochemical research to back its decisions."
Li emphasized that China has found more than 4,000 metric tons of gold reserves since 1981, making it the world's biggest gold producer in 2014.
Apart from this, China has also surveyed groundwater, covering a 4.4-million-square-kilometer area of almost all regions using underground water, Lin Liangjun, head of the environmental geology department of the national survey authority, stated.
Meanwhile, Jiang shared that the government will be cooperative in building a database of chemical components. China will also provide the necessary training to facilitate the initiative.