Abstract

Among the set of conditions that determine the status of the biota and the environment in general, geochemical factors related to the geologic history of the area and its constituent chemical composition of rocks and soils play a major role. It is known that the chemical composition of plant communities is closely related to the concentration of some elements in the soil. From this perspective, the study of the relationship between the components of the geochemical environment is the main objective of our investigation. The study area is characterized by a relatively developed mining industry, here since 1970 operates the Chadak mine and the gold-extracting factory. Plant samples (Artemísia absínthium and Phrágmites austrális) were collected in the vicinity of the Chadak mining area and in tailing dumps which were formed as a result of mining activity. Dry ashing was conducted in a muffle furnace at temperatures of 450 to 5000C for 3-4 hours. After the ashing, the ashe dissolved in dilute HNO3+3HCl. The final solution was analyzed for Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn, and As with ICP-MS. Results show that trace elements were to exceed normal concentration in plant leaves [1] and reach (mg/kg): Cu –37-639, Zn – 174-1798, Pb – 5-282, Mn – 361-2969, and As –2-341, respectively. As can be seen from the results trace elements are found in excessive or toxic concentrations despite the fact, that some of these elements are essential for plants. Not always observed relationship with the soil composition as the concentration of trace metals is much higher than in soil samples. Perhaps this is due to the selective ability of some plant species or such high content of trace metals related to ore deposits. Many studies have shown that there is a correlation of trace metals in plants on the content of their mobile forms in soil solution. With this respect, future investigations on the mobile forms of trace metals are required in our studied area.