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Impacts of ultramafic outcrops in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah on soil and water quality

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Abstract

This study focused on the influence of ultramafic terrains on soil and surface water environmental chemistry in Peninsular Malaysia and in the State of Sabah also in Malaysia. The sampling included 27 soils from four isolated outcrops at Cheroh, Bentong, Bukit Rokan, and Petasih from Peninsular Malaysia and sites near Ranau in Sabah. Water samples were also collected from rivers and subsurface waters interacting with the ultramafic bodies in these study sites. Physico-chemical parameters (including pH, EC, CEC) as well as the concentration of major and trace elements were measured in these soils and waters. Geochemical indices (geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, and concentration factor) were calculated. Al2O3 and Fe2O3 had relatively high concentrations in the samples. A depletion in MgO, CaO, and Na2O was observed as a result of leaching in tropical climate, and in relation to weathering and pedogenesis processes. Chromium, Ni, and Co were enriched and confirmed by the significant values obtained for Igeo, EF, and CF, which correspond to the extreme levels of contamination for Cr and high to moderate levels of contamination for Ni and Co. The concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Co in surface waters did not reflect the local geochemistry and were within the permissible ranges according to WHO and INWQS standards. Subsurface waters were strongly enriched by these elements and exceeded these standards. The association between Cr and Ni was confirmed by factor analysis. The unexpected enrichment of Cu in an isolated component can be explained by localized mineralization in Sabah.

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Acknowledgements

This study was part of the M. Tashakor’s Ph.D. thesis, and she wishes to thank Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the staff from the School of Science and Technology for support. M. Tashakor also acknowledges Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for organizing the fieldwork for sample collection. A. van der Ent is the recipient of a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE160100429) from the Australian Research Council. We thank anonymous reviewers for contructive comments that improved this article.

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  1. Tehran, Iran

    Mahsa Tashakor

  2. School of Geology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Soroush Modabberi

  3. Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia

    Antony van der Ent

  4. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, Université de Lorraine, INRA, 54000 Nancy, France

    Antony van der Ent & Guillaume Echevarria

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  1. Mahsa Tashakor
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Tashakor, M., Modabberi, S., van der Ent, A. et al. Impacts of ultramafic outcrops in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah on soil and water quality. Environ Monit Assess 190, 333 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6668-5

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