Statistical and spatial assessment of heavy metal contamination around Lavrio mine workings, Greece

摘要

The problems associated with the majority of contaminated lands are a result of past human activities which are often due to multiple sources of pollution and are poorly recorded. Normally, the impact of mining and processing activity on soil metal loads is measured as the change above a background (baseline) level. However, in the case of Lavrio, it is not possible to construct an environmental baseline on the basis of the existing ancient mining records. One possible alternative to a baseline study is a thorough understanding of the gelolog of the orebody, and of the mining and processing activity in the area. This, combined with the spatial data analysis and transformation capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), provides the means for soil contamination assessment in the study area.