干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

This study was conducted to explore the relationships between magnetic susceptibility and some soil heavy metals concentrations in various particle sizes in an industrial site, central Iran. Soils were partitioned into five fractions (< 28, 28-75, 75-150, 150-300, and 300-2000 A mu m). Heavy metals concentrations including Zn, Pb, Fe, Cu, Ni and Mn and magnetic susceptibility were determined in bulk soil samples and all fractions in 60 soil samples collected from the depth of 0-5 cm. The studied heavy metals except for Pb and Fe displayed a substantial enrichment in the < 28 A mu m. These two elements seemed to be independent of the selected size fractions. Magnetic minerals are specially linked with medium size fractions including 28-75, 75-150 and 150-300 A mu m. The highest correlations were found for < 28 A mu m and heavy metals followed by 150-300 A mu m fraction which are susceptible to wind erosion risk in an arid environment.