Proxy mapping of fly-ash pollution of soils around a coal-burning power plant:: a case study in the Czech Republic

The northern part of the Czech Republic ranks among the most industrially polluted areas of Europe due mainly to combustion of brown coal with high contents of pyrite and heavy metals. Fly ash produced through high-temperature combustion of fossil fuel is also rich in ferromagnetic minerals. These are also included in emissions, penetrate the soil, and can be identified using rock-magnetic methods. Magnetic susceptibility is directly linked to a concentration of ferromagnetic minerals and is dominated by high values of magnetite. This study reports on a method of monitoring the spatial distribution of pollution due to airborne solid particles based on measurements of magnetic susceptibility of the soil surface near a brown-coal-burning power plant. Areas with high emission levels and their maximum range are determined. A comparison of the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility with heavy-metal concentrations in soil samples suggests that magnetic mapping can be beneficially used as a rapid and inexpensive method to determine contamination due to industrial activity. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.