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Determination of geochemical background for environmental studies of soils via the use of HNO3 extraction and Q–Q plots

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Abstract

The procedure proposed in this study is based on the extraction of elements in soils by analytical grade HNO3, the distribution of the elemental data displayed on probability graphs (Q–Q plots) and the visualization of the results spatially by GIS software. The applicability of the procedure is demonstrated in an urban area and its surroundings (Kavala, northern Greece). A major (Ca) and a trace (Ag) element are used as examples in order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed procedure. Normal probability and lognormal probability plots of Ca and Ag show that their concentrations are lognormally distributed and that their geochemical baseline and anomaly threshold values can be calculated with the aid of their geometric mean and geometric deviation. The advantages of the proposed procedure are simplicity, comprehensiveness, and low cost. It can be applied to environmental geochemical studies of soils in a variety of areas.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the technical assistance provided by the personnel of the Faculty of Geology of the University of Barcelona, the SCT-UB and ICTJA-CSIC, Barcelona (Spain). Georgios Papastergios acknowledges the support of the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). This work was partially carried out in the framework of PEGEFA 2005SGR-00795 Research Consolidated Group, funded by AGAUR-DURSI, Generalitat de Catalunya. The authors wish to thank an anonymous reviewer for his helpful comments on improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mineralogy-Petrology-Economic Geology, School of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Georgios Papastergios & Anestis Filippidis

  2. Institute of Earth Sciences “Jaume Almera”, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Lluís Solé i Sabarís, s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Jose-Luis Fernandez-Turiel

  3. Faculty of Geology, University of Barcelona, Zona Universitària de Pedralbes, Martí i Franquès, s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Domingo Gimeno

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  1. Georgios Papastergios
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  2. Jose-Luis Fernandez-Turiel
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Correspondence to Georgios Papastergios.

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Papastergios, G., Fernandez-Turiel, JL., Filippidis, A. et al. Determination of geochemical background for environmental studies of soils via the use of HNO3 extraction and Q–Q plots. Environ Earth Sci 64, 743–751 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0894-7

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