The use of a geostatistical model supported by multivariate analysis to assess the spatial distribution of mercury in soils from historical mining areas: Karczówka Mt., Miedzianka Mt., and Rudki (south-central Poland)

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Abstract

For the purpose of this study, 181 soil samples were collected from three post-mining areas (Miedzianka Mt. (62), Karczówka Mt. (61), and Rudki (58)) in the Holy Cross Mountains, south-central Poland. Collected samples were dried, disaggregated, and digested in a closed microwave system. All solutions were analyzed for Hg concentrations with cold vapor-atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AAS) technique using a continuous flow vapor accessory. The average Hg concentrations and the upper limits of geochemical background (UBG) were as follows: Miedzianka Mt. Hg 0.501 mg kg ⁻¹, UBG 0.312 mg kg ⁻¹; Karczówka Mt. Hg 0.150 mg kg ⁻¹, UBG 0.180 mg kg ⁻¹; Rudki area Hg 0.216 mg kg ⁻¹, UBG 0.193 mg kg ⁻¹. The use of a spatial distribution map of mercury concentrations integrated with computed geochemical factors and results of cluster analysis showed a direct relationship between mercury contents and mining activity conducted in these areas. Only in the case of Miedzianka Mt., this relationship was visible and probably resulted from the presence of tennantite (Cu,Fe) ₁₂As ₄S ₁₃ in soil samples, which was also confirmed with the factor analysis. Higher Hg concentrations in soil samples from Karczówka Mt. and Rudki resulted from the presence of clay and other secondary minerals that increase the mercury adsorption from atmospheric deposition. Fossil fuel and biomass combustion was classified as the main anthropogenic source of the metal, but the neighborhood of a cement factory may be taken under consideration. Our results showed that the use of integrated geostatistical models allows for better data visualization and interpretation.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Artur Michalik:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5297-9028

Artur.Michalik@ujk.edu.pl

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Environ Monit Assess

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Environ Monit Assess

Title: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Publisher: Springer International Publishing (Cham )

ISSN (Print): 0167-6369

ISSN (Electronic): 1573-2959

Publication date (Electronic): 24 April 2019

Publication date PMC-release: 24 April 2019

Publication date (Print): 2019

Volume: 191

Issue: 5

Electronic Location Identifier: 302

Affiliations

ISNI 0000 0001 2292 9126, GRID grid.411821.f, Geochemistry and the Environment Division, Institute of Chemistry, , Jan Kochanowski University, ; 15G Świętokrzyska St., 25-406 Kielce, Poland

Author information

Artur Michalik http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5297-9028

Article

Publisher ID: 7368

DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7368-5

PMC ID: 6482127

PubMed ID: 31020409

SO-VID: 22c5c878-4bc8-4de8-8116-63f5159703fc

License:

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.