Preparation and Characterisation of Two Geochemical Reference Materials: DG-H (Granite) and AM-H (Amphibolite) from the Himalayan Orogenic Belt

Two geochemical reference materials of Himalayan origin named DG-H (a granite) and AM-H (an amphibolite) prepared by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology Dehradun are described. Both samples were collected from the NW Himachal Himalaya in India. With the participation of analysts from more than forty international laboratories, element determination data collected during the past 10 years for characterisation of the samples was processed to assign working values using statistical procedures in use for this purpose. Earlier work published on these samples is incorporated in the present communication making it an updated document. The typical chemical and petrological characteristics of these two samples may prove useful for method validation and calibration of analytical instruments used for analysing similar rock types, and for widening the analytical range of several analytical methods used for geochemical analysis.