Heavy metal contents in the most productive Argentinean Humid Pampa soils

摘要

Argentinean Humid Pampa topsoil samples from sites with different land use patterns were analysed. Texture was dominated by fines (silt+clay > 50%) with high total organic carbon content (2.8 ± 1.8%), particularly in finer soils (3.7-9.9% to 0.99% in sandy soils). Carbon:nitrogen relationship was relatively homogeneous (13.9 ± 3.6%) pointing to a dominant contribution of terrestrial plant detritus. Heavy metal concentrations were low (Fe: 1.77 ± 0.50%; Mn: 446 ± 171; Zn: 48.4 ± 19.5; Cu: 17.6 ± 6.0; Pb: 10.0 ± 4.8; Cr: 7.2 ± 1.8; Ni: 6.1 ± 1.7; Cd: 0.05 ± 0.03 µg g~(-1)) and spatially homogeneous ( 0.05). Heavy metal enrichment factors were low (0.07-2.28) indicating a natural origin.