Preliminary Results of Magnetic Characterisation of Different Soils in the Tandil Region (Argentina) Affected by the Pollution of Metallurgical Factory

M. A. E. CHAPARRO; C. S. G. GOGORZA; A. LAVAT; S. PAZOS; A. M. SINITO

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENGINEERING GEOPHYSICS

Geophysical Press Ltd.

Año: 2002 vol. 7 p. 35 - 58

Abstract. Magnetic measurements of soils exposed to pollution became one auxiliary tool forestimating contamination. In this work, preliminary studies of magnetic properties of recentsoils from the Tandil region, Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) are presented, paying specialattention to ‘magnetic enhancement’ on topsoil’s layers, this enhancement may be explained bythe fallout from the atmosphere of pollutant particles generated by metallurgical factories. Anintegrated analysis of magnetic parameters was carried out: susceptibility (in situ, laboratory,frequency dependence, temperature dependence), Isothermal Remanent Magnetisation (IRMcurves, SIRM, BCR, S ratio, χ vs. SIRM), in order to know, in a qualitative way, the magneticmineral composition, grain size, and characteristics of the main carriers. X-Ray Diffraction(XRD) analyses support the magnetic results. The comparison of the results showed significantdifferences between the concentration and grain sizes of ferrimagnetic oxides present in pollutedand unpolluted or less polluted soils.Keywords: environmental magnetism, pollution, soils.