Salminen, R. et al.: Geochemical Atlas of the Eastern Barents Region 2004. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, 548 pp.; Hardcover USD 103.00; GBP 65.00; EUR 95,00; ISBN 0-444- 51815-0 In 1998 a monumental work was realized with the publishing of the Environmental Geochemical Atlas of the Central Barents Region (Kola Peninsula) by Reimann et al. – a giant task to map substantial areas with stringent quality control and very professional scientific data interpretation over an area of 188,000 km 2 (review in Environ Geol 35, 4: 290–291). That project led to the very ambitious and successful Baltic Soil Survey, which was pub- lished by Reimann et al. (2003) as the Geochemical Atlas on Agricul- tural Soils in Northern Europe (Geol Jb D, SD5: 279 pp. with CD-ROM; review in J Soil Sediments 2003; 3, 4: 292). The achievement of that ‘‘Kola’’ atlas has been so convincing that this new project was launched in 1999 by a large team of Finnish and Russian colleagues: R. Salminen, V. Chekushin, M. Tenhola, I. Bogatyrev, S.P. Glavatskikh, E. Fedotova, V. Gregorauskiene, G. Kashulina, H. Niskavaara, A. Polischuok, K. Rissanen, L. Selenok, O. Tomilina, and L. Zhdanova. In 2004 the publisher, Elsevier, took on the responsibility to produce and market the Kola project’s second ‘‘large sibling’’, the Geochemical Atlas of the Eastern Barents Region. Covering most of Finland and all northern parts of Russia east to the Ural Mountains – an area of 1.55 Mio km 2 – this atlas follows in its principal layout and ideas, the previous work of Reimann et al. (1998, 2003). Since the Barents Region is expected to see major changes in industrial/resource development, and settlement in the near future, the new atlas primarily aims to establish a geochemical baseline for that part of the Nordic environment. A total of 288 sites in Finland and 1085 sites in Russia were sampled (terrestrial mosses, organic topsoil, C-horizon, and stream water) in the years 2000 and 2001. The sampling density of 1 per 1000 km 2 is additionally backed by 30 special sites with high density sampling and the inclusion of addi- tional tasks, e.g., the investigation of vegetation (shrubs/trees) and pre- cipitation. Most materials have undergone both full digestion and selective extraction, and all samples and analytical procedures (by the reputable laboratory of Heiki Nisk- avaara, Finnish Geological Survey) have undergone a very well documented and thorough quality control procedure. More than 50 elements, including radionuclides, and additional parameters (e.g., pH-values, alkalinity, LOI etc.) have been analysed and the full-color maps display 48 parameters, often in several maps. Following a vivid description of the project background and organi- zation, a second chapter details the area’s climate, vegetation and soil types, geophysical and geological information, metallogenic features and human activities with environ- mental status. This part is illustrated with thematic maps and other help- ful figures and photographs. The third chapter is dedicated to applied methods (sampling, sample prepa- ration, analysis, and quality con- trol), followed by chapter 4 on the chemical composition of atmo- spheric precipitation (measured throughout one full year). Chapter 5 comprises the most prominent part of the book: the element maps, sta- tistics and interpretation (pages 59 to 522). Each element – from silver (Ag) to zirconium (Zr) – is being introduced with a short table on its occurrence in different environments (lithosphere, rock types, soil, stream water, sea water, and the biosphere), followed by a description on the obtained data from this project. Subsequent pages yield tables and an extensive series of box and whisker plots, and a series of full-color maps (Kriging with point information) and frequency diagrams for the data. The sixth chapter gives a general data interpretation, taking into ac- count geographical zoning (climate, anthropogenic and geogenic factors, including sea spray), geogenic anomalies differentiated by lithology and mineralizations, anthropogenic anomalies, and some physical rea- sons for unusual element behavior. This part is completed with conclu- sions, acknowledgements, and a reference list. The final pages provide an appendix that contains an extensive table of all data in alphabetical order. Apart from the successful demonstration and registration of the desired baseline values, the effort is gratified by invaluable informa- tion on natural resources, and a wealth of information for further scientific evaluation and interpreta- tion. The data will become part of the Pan-European database that in itself is a contribution to the Global Geochemical Baseline Program within IUGS/IAGC. One of the more thought- provoking results is the fact that no evidence could be found for a substantial atmospheric long-range transport of trace elements in that area. This was already suggested by Reimann et al. (1997 in Atmos Environ 31, 23: 3887–3901) in one of the many publications from the Kola project, and is being substan- tiated further and over a much larger region. Some shortcomings should be mentioned, which may be considered if a second edition is ever possible - or may be considered with future similar efforts, such as the Brazilian PGAGEM project, a nationwide geochemical mapping program that is now underway. The prime criti- cism relates to the print quality, particularly in respect to print size of fonts in tables, many figures and BOOK REVIEWS Environ Geol (2005) 48: 1147–1148 DOI 10.1007/s00254-005-0067-2