Red soils derived from limestone contain higher amounts of trace elements than those derived from various other parent materials

Abstract

The concentrations of 48 trace elements (Li, Be, Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ag, In, Cd, Sn, Sb, I, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th and U) in 14 soils derived from limestone, sampled at three sites, are compared with the concentrations in 500 soil samples derived from a variety of other parent materials. The 500 samples were collected from 75 sites nationwide in order to include the wide range of common soil types in Japan. Most analytical results were obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), but Cr, As, Br, Zr, Sn, and I concentrations were determined by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF), because the acid dissolution techniques employed in this study were found to be incapable of recovering these elements completely. In order to examine the reliability of analyses, the concentrations of many elements were also determined by EDXRF, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Box and whisker diagrams (Tukey plots), constructed using log-transformed values of each element, show clearly that geometric means of nearly all the trace elements in soils derived from limestone are higher than those in soils derived from other parent materials. The only exceptions are Sr, Ag and Eu, though statistical analysis (Student's t-test) shows that the differences for these three elements were not significant at p < 0.05. Similarly, the observed differences of geometric means for Sc, Br and Ba between limestone soils and other types of soils were also not significant at p < 0.05. It can be concluded, therefore, that the concentrations of the above-mentioned 48 trace elements in soils derived from limestone are significantly higher than those in other types of soils, with the exception of Sc, Br, Sr, Ag, and Ba, though it was necessary to exclude 81 soil samples, developed on scoriaceous (basaltic) volcanic ash from Mt. Fuji, as an exceptional group for comparisons of V and Cu, as these soils contain higher levels of these two elements. The above results can be attributed to the gradual accumulation of trace elements in the limestone soils due to the intense weathering processes.

Lead and zinc concentration in genetic horizons of Terra rossa soil at a local scale. How these concentrations differ?

“…Summary statistics (mean, median, minimum: min, maximum: max. and range in mg/kg, standard deviation: SD and skewness: Skew) and Shapiro-Wilk test for Pb and Zn concentration in A and B horizon Kernel density plot of Pb A and Pb B (a) and Zn A and Zn B (b)Established elevated Pb concentrations in the current study are in agreement with those reported byBellanca et al (1996),Vingiani et al (2018) andYamasaki et al (2013) for Terra rossa soils on limestones(Table 3) Peh et al (2003). also have established very similar mean values of Pb in Terra rossa soil(Table 3).…”

“…Original scientific paper DOI: /10.5513/JCEA01/21.3.2588 Miloš and Bensa: Lead and zinc concentration in genetic horizons of Terra rossa soil at a... Peh et al (2003), Bellanca et al (1996) and Vingiani et al (2018), Table 4. Yamasaki et al (2013) have reported a higher mean value and a wider range of Zn concentration in topsoil (Table 4)…”

Arsenic in a Karstic Paddy Soil with a High Geochemical Background in Guangxi, China: Its Bioavailability and Controlling Factors

“…The natural presence of As in soils is primarily influenced by the composition of geological parent materials [13,14]. It has been shown that there is a strong correlation between As in soils in northwest Greece and geological parent materials and anthropogenic sources of pollution [4].…”

Influencing Factors of Elevated Levels of Potentially Toxic Elements in Agricultural Soils from Typical Karst Regions of China

“…The contamination of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in agricultural lands has emerged as a global concern due to the growing recognition of the importance of safe food production. The karst areas in southwestern China have been known to have high geochemical background values of various PTEs (Cd, Hg, As, Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu) in soils [1][2][3][4][5]. The high geochemical background of PTEs in these areas is related to the local carbonate rock parent materials [6].…”