Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Magnetic studies applied to different environments (soils and stream sediments) from a relatively polluted area in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Anthropogenic influence, mainly due to urban and industrial activities, may affect fluvial environments and soils, via atmospheric contamination and liquid and solid waste.

Continuing previous works on stream sediments and soils, the Gran La Plata area was chosen. In this area, located in the Northeast of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), several streams and soils were sampled. The streams have similar characteristics, although some of them have a higher input of pollutants (fluvial effluents, fly ashes, solid wastes, etc.). The studied soils have different pedological development.

Magnetic and chemical studies were carried out in the laboratory. Analyses of the results indicated that the behavior of magnetic parameters can be related to the variations of heavy metal contents in stream sediments but there is not a good correlation in soils. The comparison between both environments (stream-sediment and soils) reveals a different impact of pollutants. Magnetite, especially PSD grains, seems to be the main carrier for both environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2a,b a
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angulo E (1996) The Tomlinson pollution load index applied to heavy metal “Mussel-Watch” data: a useful index to assess coastal pollution. Sci Total Environ 187:19–56

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beckwith PR, Ellis JB, Revitt DM (1986) Heavy metal and magnetic relationship for urban source sediments. Phys Earth Planet Int 42:67–75

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bidegain JC (1998) New evidence of the Brunhes-Matuyama polarity boundary in the Hernandez-Gorina Quarries, northwest of the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires. Quaternary of South America and Antarctic Peninsula 11(12):207–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Bityukova L, Scholger R, Birke M (1999) Magnetic susceptibility as indicator of environmental pollution of soils in Tallin. Phys Chem Earth (A) 24(9):829–835

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloemendal J, King JK, Hall FR, Doh SJ (1992) Rock magnetism of Late Neogene and Pleistocene deep-sea sediments: relationship to sediment source, diagenetic processes and sediment lithology. J Geophys Res 97:4361–4375

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan LS, Ng SL, Davis AM, Yim WWS, Yeung CH (2001) Magnetic properties and heavy-metal contents of contaminated seabed sediments of Penny’s Bay, Hong Kong. Mar Pollution Bull 42(7):569–583

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaparro MAE, Gogorza CS, Lavat A, Pazos S, Sinito AM (2002a) Preliminary results of magnetic characterisation of different soils in Tandil region (Argentina) affected by the pollution of metallurgical factory. European J Environ Eng Geophys 7:35–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaparro MAE, Bidegain JC, Sinito AM, Gogorza CS, Jurado S (2002b) Comparison of magnetic studies of soils and stream sediments from Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) applied to pollution analysis. Extended abstract for the International Symposium on Fundamental Rock Magnetism and Environmental Applications, Erice, Italy, pp 25–27

  • Chaparro MAE, Bidegain JC, Sinito AM, Gogorza CS, Jurado S (2003) Preliminary results of magnetic measurements on stream sediments from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Stud Geophys Geod 47:53–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunlop J, Özdemir Ö (1997) Rock magnetism: fundamentals and frontiers. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 573 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Durza O (1999) Heavy metals contamination and magnetic susceptibility in soils around metallurgical plant. Phys Chem Earth (A) 24(6):541–543

    Google Scholar 

  • Environmental Protection Agency, EPA SW-846 (1986) Method 3050 acid digestion of sediments, sludges and soils. Chapter 3: Metallic analysis, volume one, section A, part 1 of test methods for evaluating solid waste. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Frink CR (1996) A perspective on metals in soils. J Soil Contam 5(4):329–359

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fidalgo F, Martinez OR (1983) Algunas características geomórficas dentro del Partido de La Plata (Pcia. de Buenos Aires). Asoc Geol Arg Rev XXXVIII(2):263–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanesch M, Petersen N (1999) Magnetic properties of a recent parabrown-earth from Southern Germany. Earth Planet Sci Lett 169:85–97

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hanesch M, Scholger R (2002) Mapping of heavy metal loadings in soils by means of magnetic susceptibility measurements. Environ Geol 42:857–870

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heller F, Strzyszcz Z, Magiera T (1998) Magnetic record of industrial pollution in soils of Upper Silesia, Poland. J Geophys Res 103(B8):17767–17774

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kapicka A, Petrovský E, Ustjak S, Machácková K (1999) Proxy mapping of fly-ash pollution of soils around a coal-burning power plant: a case study in Czech Republic. J Geochem Explor 66:291–297

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • King J, Banerjee SK, Marvin J, Özdemir Ö (1982) A comparison of different magnetic methods for determining the relative grain size of magnetite in natural materials: some results from lake sediments. Earth Planet Sci Lett 59:404–419

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruiver PP, Dekkers MJ, Heslop D (2001a) Quantification of magnetic coercivity components by the analysis of acquisition curves of isothermal remanent magnetisation. Earth Planet Sci Lett 189:269–276

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kruiver PP, Passier HF (2001b) Coercivity analysis of magnetic phases in sapropel S1 related to variations in redox conditions, including an investigation of the S ratio. Geochem Geophys Geosys paper number 2001GC000181

  • Kukier U, Fauziah Ishak C, Summer ME, Miller WP (2003) Composition and element solubility of magnetic and non-magnetic fly ash fractions. Environ Pollution 123:255–266

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maher BA, Thompson R, Hounslow MW (1999) Introduction. In: Maher BA, Thompson R (eds) Quaternary climates, environments and magnetism. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1–48

  • Petrovský E, Elwood B (1999) Magnetic monitoring of air, land and water pollution. In: Maher BA, Thompson R (eds) Quaternary climates, environments and magnetism. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 279–322

  • Petrovský E, Kapicka A, Zapletal K, Sevestová E, Spanilá T, Dekkers MJ, Rochette P (1998) Correlation between magnetic parameters and chemical composition of lake sediments from northern Bohemia—Preliminary study. Phys Chem Earth 23(9):1123–1126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petrovský E, Kapicka A, Jordanoa N, Knob M, Hoffmann V (2000) Low field susceptibility: a proxy method of estimating increased pollution of different environmental systems. Environ Geol 39(3–4):312–318

    Google Scholar 

  • SAGyP – INTA (1989) Mapa de Suelos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires: Scale 1:500,000. Proyecto PNUD ARG 85/019, Buenos Aires, 527 pp

  • Tauxe L (1993) Sedimentary records of relative paleointensity of the geomagnetic field: theory and practice. Rev Geophys 31(3):319–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson R, Oldfield F (1986) Environmental magnetism. Allen and Unwin, Winchester, MA, 225 pp

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA) and CONICET for financial support. Many thanks to Eduardo Chaparro for his support in the sampling campaign. The authors are really indebted to the anonymous reviewer for his useful suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFAS, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 , Tandil, Argentina

    M. A. E. Chaparro, A. M. Sinito & C. S. G. Gogorza

  2. CIC—LEMIT, calle 52 entre 121 y 122, 1900 , La Plata, Argentina

    J. C. Bidegain & S. S. Jurado

Authors
  1. M. A. E. Chaparro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. C. Bidegain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. M. Sinito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. S. Jurado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. C. S. G. Gogorza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. A. E. Chaparro.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chaparro, M.A.E., Bidegain, J.C., Sinito, A.M. et al. Magnetic studies applied to different environments (soils and stream sediments) from a relatively polluted area in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Env Geol 45, 654–664 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0915-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0915-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation