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HEAVY METALS IN CRYOZEMES OF WESTERN YAKUTIA

Anna Gololobova

Abstract

Soil pollution with heavy metals is one of the most important environmental problems. Territories where significant mineral resources of Russia are concentrated belong to the regions of the Far North. At the same time, northern ecosystems have low resistance to various forms of anthropogenic impact. This work is aimed at studying the content and distribution of trace elements in the cryozems of Western Yakutia. The study area is located in the North-East of Russia, in the zone of the North-Taiga landscapes of Western Yakutia, within the industrial site of the Nyurbinsky Mining and Processing Plant. In this paper we considered homogeneous suprapermafrost-gleyed cryozems, homogeneous non-gleyed cryozems and gleyey podzolized cryozems. Some mechanisms and features of accumulation and distribution of mobile forms of microelements (Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Pb, Cd and As) in the cryozems of Western Yakutia are studied. A different degree of correlation of the concentration of trace elements with the content of humus, physical clay and soil reaction was revealed. The relationship between these indicators is characterized by statistical methods. The main geochemical characteristic of cryozems is the presence of biogenic and suprapermafrost geochemical barriers.

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