## 5 Results and Discussion
### Comparison between the Statistical and S-A Methods  
The single element Cu, Co, and Cr anomalies (Figures 5 and 10) were mainly distributed in the L\(\ddot{\rm{u}}\)liangshan and Luofengpo areas where they were characterized by obvious and wide-range anomalies. In other places, such as Tieshiguan and Shuangkoushan, there were weak Cu, Co, and Cr anomalies. The Zn anomaly was mainly distributed in Shuangkoushan. We focused on the local region of L\(\ddot{\rm{u}}\)liangshan and Luofengpo, where the geochemical element Cu was predominantly distributed (Figure 11a,b), and the Shuangkoushan area, where Zn was present (Figure 11c,d). The statistical analysis results (Figure 11a,c) were compared with results from the S-A method (Figure 11b,d). The S-A results revealed delineated Cu anomalies in the Luofengpo area that aligned with known mineral occurrences. Additionally, the S-A method enhanced weak Cu anomalies that were identified by the statistical method, which were originally weakened by heavy cover or influenced by low background levels. This enhancement resulted in more obvious and distinguishable anomalies. In contrast, the S-A method highlighted more pronounced Zn anomalies in the Shuangkoushan area compared to the statistical method, producing more and stronger concentric centers. The combined elements Cu, Zn, and Co were examined as an example in the locally enlarged regions of L\(\ddot{\rm{u}}\)liangshan, Luofengpo (Figure 12a,b), and Shuangkoushan (Figure 12c,d) areas. The results obtained through the statistical method (Figure 12a,c) and the S-A method (Figure 12b,d) were compared. They showed that S-A reduced the anomalous area of the combined elements more than the statistical method, while highlighting the geochemical anomaly. This allowed for more efficient discovery of potential mineralization. The results for the single geochemical element Cu (Figure 11b) were compared with results for the combined geochemical elements Cu + Zn + Co (Figure 12b), both using the same S-A method. It was clear that the abnormal region of the combined elements Cu + Zn + Co covered a greater number of known Cu mining deposits compared to using only the single geochemical element Cu. In L\(\ddot{\rm{u}}\)liangshan-Yuka, two anomalies were detected using the statistical method and three using the S-A method, with three known deposits present. In Luofengpo, the statistical method detected one anomaly and the S-A method detected four, with five known deposits present. No anomalies or known deposits were identified in Shuangkoushan. Figure 10: Spatial distributions for mineralization-related multi element anomalies of Cu + Ag + Pb + Sb + Hg (**a**) and Cu + Zn + Co (**b**) based on the S-A method. The spatial relationships between Cu anomalies identified by different methods and the known deposits in the NQ were investigated. In the Lulinangshan-Yuka area, the statistical method detected two anomalies, while the S-A method detected three, and three known deposits were present. For the Luofengpo area, the statistical method identified one anomaly, and the S-A method revealed four, with five known deposits present. No anomalies or known deposits were identified in the Shuangkoushan area. In comparison to the less obvious anomalies delineated by the statistical method, the S-A method also identified Zn anomalies in Lulinangshan. This indicated that S-A was more capable of delineating the weak and small anomalies in the low background, considering the background variability. The results indicated that S-A had significant advantages for delineating geochemical anomalies in the NQ: (1) it highlighted geochemical anomalies associated with mineralization, and (2) it enhanced the identification of weak geochemical anomalies within a low background affected by heavy overburden. By combining the known mining deposits and ore points with the results obtained using the S-A method, a strong correlation was observed between the highlighted Cu and Cu-Zn anomalies in Lulinangshan, thus providing valuable targets for future exploration.