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Agricultural soil contamination and degradation near a mining

area in an arid region

Mohammad-Javad Ghaneei-Bafghi, Sadat Feiznia, Ahmad Reza

Mokhtari, Mohammad Jaafari, Ali Tavili, Ziba Khodaeian

PII: S0375-6742(23)00196-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2023.107349
Reference: GEXPLO 107349

To appear in: Journal of Geochemical Exploration

Received date: 27 February 2023

Revised date: 17 October 2023
Accepted date: 12 November 2023

Please cite this article as: M.-J. Ghaneei-Bafghi, S. Feiznia, A.R. Mokhtari, et al.,
Agricultural soil contamination and degradation near a mining area in an arid region,
Journal of Geochemical Exploration (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.gexplo.2023.107349

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© 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Agricultural soil contamination and degradation near a mining area in an arid

region

Mohammad-Javad Ghaneei-Bafghi*1, Sadat Feiznia2, Ahmad Reza Mokhtari3, Mohammad

Jaafari2, Ali Tavili2, Ziba Khodaeian4
1- Department of Nature Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Ardakan University, P.O.
Box 184, Ardakan, Iran.
*corresponding author: mjghaneib@Ardakan.ac.ir
2- Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj 3158777878, Iran
3- Department of Mining Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 8415683111, Iran
4- Geological Survey of Iran, Azadi Square, Meraj Avenue, Tehran, Iran

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Abstract

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Industrial and mining activities release toxic substances and heavy metals into the soil of
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the surrounding environment and result in soil degradation and desertification. The

contaminated residential areas near mines can endanger the health of residents, and the
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agricultural lands at the fringes of mines contaminate agricultural products with heavy metals.
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In this study, in order to determine the rate of soil degradation and its contamination at the

margins of Koushk Pb–Zn mine, the surface of the agricultural soil adjacent to the mine was
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sampled. Surface soil samples were also prepared from around two villages in the vicinity of
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the mine and along the roadside. The samples were digested using four acid methods and

analyzed by ICP-OES, and the concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cr, Co, Sb, and Ba were measured in

the samples. The difference between the concentrations of heavy metals in the agricultural and

rangeland soil samples was assessed with a t-test, and the corresponding contamination maps

were plotted. The results showed that the agricultural soil in both villages was more polluted

than the rangeland soil around the villages. Indeed, the lead and zinc concentrations in the

agricultural soil of Koushk were several times higher than environmental standards. Also,
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despite the equal distance of the villages from the mine, the average amounts of barium, lead,

and zinc in Koushk soil were 1.5, 26, and 11 times more higher than those in Seyyedabad,

respectively. As a result, the parent materials geochemistry is a major source of variation in soil

pollution in two villages. In addition the agriculture management style can play a role in

elemental content of the samples.

Keywords: Mining, Agricultural soil, Pollution, Heavy metal

1. Introduction

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The mining of metals and minerals in most developing and industrialized countries is an

economic attraction. The release of heavy metals during mining activities has caused serious
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environmental problems. Mining is a primary source of heavy metals entering into the
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environment. They are released in the process of excavation, ore concentration, mine tailing, and
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disposal of wastewater and mining dust (Rashed, 2010). The contamination of agricultural soils

and crops in the vicinity of mining areas with heavy metals is considered as a major
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environmental concern (Wcisło et al., 2002; Kachenko et al., 2006; Li et al., 2018). Surface
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runoffs and wind erosion increase the concentration of heavy metals in the environment and
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affect the health of animals and plants (Sadhu et al., 2012; Mokhtari et al., 2018; Li et al., 2018).

In arid regions with scattered vegetation, the soil surface is exposed to winds, and the

displacement of soil particles is more noticeable due to wind erosion. The introduction of toxic

substances into the food chain can result from mining activities or the application of metal-

containing materials in agriculture and may threaten human health (Marrugo-Negrete et al.,

2017). The existence of toxic elements in the soil can reduce the amount of crops by preventing

leaf production or the transfer of the produced materials, or reducing the consumption of some

elements in the leaves (Samarakoon & Rauser, 1979).

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In every region, the lead concentration in the soil is strongly correlated with economic and social

development indicators, such as GDP, population, and car ownership (Shi et al., 2019). Lead in

the soil reduces chlorophyll production and plant growth and increases superoxide dismutase

(Gardeatorresdey et al., 2005). As for zinc, it usually exists in the ore along with lead and is a

significant constituent in thousands of proteins in plants. An excessive amount of zinc in the soil

can make the root environment toxic (Broadley et al., 2007). Cobalt accumulation in plant tissues

reduces the transfer of nutrients from the leaves to the roots and ultimately reduces the plant

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yield (Samarakoon & Rauser, 1979). It enters plants through human activities, such as coal

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combustion, mining, processing of cobalt-containing minerals, and the production and use of

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cobalt-containing chemicals (Langston, 1956). Also, as the industry grows, the pollution caused
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by chromium (Cr) becomes more of an environmental concern. The toxic effects of Cr on plants

are significant at the time of germination. The growth of roots, shoots and leaves and, finally, the
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dry weight of the plant and its yield are adversely affected too. In addition, Cr has metabolic
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effects directly on enzymes and other metabolites and produces a variety of reactive oxygen

species that may cause oxidative stress (Shanker et al., 2005). Similarly, barium as a heavy metal
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significantly depopulates the leaves of plants (Chaudhry et al., 1977) and decreases
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photosynthesis by affecting the potassium uptake, disturbs the stomata function, and ultimately

decreases the plant yield. Like other heavy metals, barium is released into the environment due

to the mining activities and the dumping of tailings (Suwa et al., 2008). Antimony has also

increased significantly in the surface soil due to its many industrial and chemical uses. Various

studies have shown that the concentration of this element in the soil can decrease the plant

growth, chlorophyll density, root length, and shoot yield (Tschan et al., 2009).
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Environmental quality assessment is the basis for soil monitoring and conservation in mining

areas (Li et al., 2017). Usually, spatial interpolation methods could be used to estimate

environmental pollution risks (Sun et al., 2013). The dispersion of heavy metals in the

environment surrounding the mine and the adjacent agricultural lands occurs due to wind and

surface water runoffs (Djebbi et al., 2017). Heavy elements can be directly transported by wind

through the mining process and the transfer of the extracted minerals or the indirect transport of

particles by water from the margin of the mine and tailings dumps in the bed of watercourses

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(Mokhtari et al., 2018).

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Near many abundant mines, heavy metals are distributed on agricultural land under the oxidizing

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conditions of dry field soils. This has been significantly affected by climatic factors such as wind
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and rainfall. Therefore, there is a sharp decline in the accumulation of heavy metals in these soils
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as the distance from abandoned mines increases (Yun et al., 2017). Studies have shown that the

type of land use influences the metal leaching risk. Of various types of land such as grassland,
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woodland and farmland, rangelands are usually exposed to the highest risk of Pb leaching, and
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woodlands have the lowest risk. Therefore, woodland is the best candidate to be adjacent to

mines (Tian et al., 2018). The heavy metal concentration in agricultural soils near a mining area
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is seven times higher than that in background areas (Sun et al., 2018). In the sampled sites, motor

vehicles on the roads could be the primary source of heavy metals if no major industry or mine

existed there (Christiana & Samuel, 2012).

According to the literature, the main factors influencing the existence of heavy metals in

agricultural lands are excessive use of fertilizers (Huang et al., 2006), farming practices as well

as environmental and geological factors (Liu et al., 2015), industrial and mining activities in the
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vicinity of these lands (Li et al., 2018), and transportation (Christiana & Samuel, 2012).

Determining the source of heavy metals in agricultural soil is essential for the maintenance of the

soil quality (Liu et al., 2015).

This study mainly seeks to a) study the soil quality of agricultural land in terms of heavy metal

accumulation in the villages of Koushk and Seyyedabad near a lead and zinc mine, b) describe

the distribution patterns of heavy metals in agricultural soil, and c) investigate the possible main

sources of the heavy metals and their probable relationship with mining.

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2. Materials and methods

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The study area is located in Yazd Province of Iran and consists of the agricultural lands in the

villages of Seyyedabad and Koushk. The villages are 45 km from the city of Bafgh and about 2.6
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km away from Koushk lead and zinc mine. This area extends from 55°44′30″ to 55°47′30″ E and
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from 31°43′30″ to 31°46′30″ N. The climate is hot and dry Mediterranean with an annual rainfall
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of 57 mm and an average temperature of 21°C. There is vegetation of less than 10% coverage on

the plain between the mine and the villages. The general direction of the slope is from east to
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west, and there are mountains in the north and south of the villages (Fig. 1).
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Figure 1. Map of the study area

The villages are located on the east and upstream sides of the mine. In that region, contamination

is not likely to be transported to the cultivated lands through surface waters. Indeed, due to the

dry and desert conditions and inadequate vegetation, wind is the main means of transportation

(Mokhtari et al., 2018). Thus, the two villages are likely to have been polluted by the wind.

Figure 2 shows the annual wind rise in the study area. As it can be seen, the prevailing wind is in
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the NW-SE direction. The local winds and the natural corridors that divert the wind from the

general NW-SE to the east-west direction can significantly contribute to the distribution of heavy

metals across the agricultural lands (Mokhtari et al., 2018).

Figure 2. Annual wind rose (Mokhtari et al., 2018)

Koushk Pb–Zn deposit has been mined for the past 80 years with open pits and underground

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mining methods. The existence of heavy metals in the agricultural soil of the two villages near

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the mine is not unexpected due to the proximity to the mine.

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Parent materials and lithology are reported as the factors that release heavy metals into the soil
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surface (Manta et al., 2002; Rodrigues et al., 2009). The studied area has a high geological
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diversity. It is manifested in the varied bedrock geology of that area. Figure 3 shows the

geological features of the study area, location of the mine, tailing, agricultural area, sample
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points and wind direction. The upstream regions of the two villages have different geological

settings. The upstream Koushk includes rhyolitic to rhyodacitic tuffs, limestone, chert bands,
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Sandstone, shale, conglomerate, dolomite, and marl, while the materials forming upstream
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Seyyedabad include conglomerate, marl, dolomite and limestone. Therefore, in terms of the type

of parent materials, the geochemical features of the agricultural soils in the studied villages are

expected to be different.

Figure 3. Geology of the study area

To study the concentration of heavy metals in the agricultural soil of both sites, initially, a soil

sample of 0-30 cm was prepared at the center of the agricultural lands of each village. An early
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analysis showed that the concentrations of lead, zinc, chromium, cobalt, antimony, and barium

were high in the topsoil of both villages. Therefore, to fully assess the level of contamination in

the agricultural soil, 12 samples in the village of Koushk and 10 samples in the village of

Seyyedabad were randomly taken from a depth of 0-30 cm. Each sample was approximately 70

m apart from the next. The heavy metals of high values were measured in the prototype. Due to

the proximity of both villages to the road, it was assumed that the road traffic could be another

source of contamination. So, a total of 16 soil samples were prepared at four points along the

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road near the villages and the mine, 10 and 40 meters away from it, on both sides of it, and at the

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depths of 0-5 and 5-30 cm. Then, the lead and zinc concentrations of the samples were measured.

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To compare the amounts of the heavy metals in the agricultural soils and the adjacent rangeland
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soils around the villages, 12 soil samples were taken from the depths of 0-5 and 5-30 cm. To

compare the topsoil contamination with the background, a sample was taken outside the
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boundary of the basin with similar geology (EPA-guidelines, 2008). The background sample was
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obtained in the northeast of the study area (31° 51′ 59″ N, 55° 40′ 13″ E). The sampling was

carried out through compositing five sub-samples, one located in the center of every station and
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four in crossing directions approximately 2 m apart. This helped to obtain a more representative
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set of samples by avoiding the impact of local variations (Fernández-Caliani et al., 2009). The

samples were transferred to the laboratory in plastic bags and dried at room temperature, and the

< 2 mm fraction of each soil sample was extracted as it passed through a 0.177-mm (80-mesh)

sieve. Then, it was stored in a sealed plastic bag. The soil samples were digested with a mixed

solution of HF–HCL–HNO3–HCLO4 according to the ASTM standard practice D4698-92

(ASTM-D4698-92, 2013). After digestion, the samples were analyzed in the laboratory of the

Geological Survey of Iran using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-
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OES).To compare the data, Shapiro-Wilk, t-test, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were carried out at a

5% significance level, and the bubble maps of the heavy metals in the agricultural soil were

created in ArcMap 10.2.

3. Results and discussion

Table 1 reports the statistical summary of amounts of the heavy metals measured in both the

agricultural soil of the villages and the rangeland soil samples surrounding those villages. The

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table also compares values measured for the agricultural soil with the standards provided by the

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Iranian Department of Environment (2013). The maximum values of Ba and Zn in the

agricultural soil of Koushk were higher than the standard, and the mean value of lead was higher
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than the standard value. In the agricultural soil of Seyyedabad, only the maximum amount of
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antimony was slightly higher than the standard level, and the amounts of the other elements were
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in the defined range.

Table 1. Statistics for the heavy metals in agricultural soil and range land
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A comparison of the mean values compared to the background levels shows that Ba, Co and Zn
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in Seyyedabad samples were less than those in the background. In the case of Sb, the rangeland

concentration was less than the background, and the other measured metal levels were higher

than the background. The average amount of lead in Koushk agricultural soil was more than 20

times the standard. In the agricultural soil of Seyyedabad, most elements were within the

permitted range. Of the six measured elements in the agricultural soil samples, Ba, Pb and Zn

had high coefficients of variation, but the other elements had low variability. A low coefficient

of variation in heavy metal concentrations is usually the result of geogenic factors in the

emission of pollution, while a high coefficient of variation indicates anthropogenic factors (Li et
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al., 2017). The other three elements with low coefficients of variation do not follow this trend.

The mean values of Ba, Pb and Zn show that the order of soils is Koushk > range land >

Seyyedabad, while the other elements do not follow this order.

The box plot of Ba, Pb and Zn in the agricultural soil samples of Koushk and Seyyedabad is

displayed in Fig. 4. As it can be seen, the concentrations of these three metals in the agricultural

soil samples collected from the two villages are remarkably different. In Koushk, Pb is found in a

wide range from 254.5 to 6119.8 with a mean of 1613.1, whereas it has a shorter range (from

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38.3 to 58.8 mg.kg-1) with a mean of 48.5 mg.kg-1 in Seyyedabad. The concentration of Zn in

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the agricultural soil of Koushk was found to be significantly more than that in Seyyedabad. The

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mean Zn concentration in Koushk (463.88 mg.kg-1) was four times more than that in Seyyeabad
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agricultural soil (93.1 mg.kg-1). Similarly, the Ba concentration in the samples of Koushk was

about 1.5 times that of Seyyedabad. Given the proximity of the two villages, this difference in
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the amount of heavy elements is notable.

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Figure 4: Box plot of Ba, Zn and Pb in agricultural soil samples

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Figure 5 indicates the correlation among the three selected elements in the agricultural soil of the
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two villages. There is the maximum Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of 0.8768 between Zn and

Pb for the soil samples of Koushk. This can be due to the similarity of the sources of these two

elements, namely mineralization as a geogenic source and mining activities as an anthropogenic

source. More probably, the same transportation mechanism has been involved in the

accumulation of those two elements. In Koushk samples, the minimum correlation coefficient is

between Pb and Ba (r = 46), and the maximum correlation in Seydabad soil samples is between

Ba and Zn (r = 0.54), which is similar to that in Koushk (0.59). The other correlation
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coefficients are less than 0.59 in Koushk and 0.54 in Seyyedabad. In this case, these low

correlation coefficients may be attributed to natural processes or geogenic sources (Štofejová et

al., 2021; Doležalová Weissmannová et al., 2019; Ma et al., 2016).

Fig. 5. Pearson’s coefficients of correlation between heavy metals in the agricultural soil samples

of Koushk and Seyyedabad

Fossil fuel combustion in vehicles is a factor that releases heavy elements into the environment

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around roads (Kuklova et al., 2022; Manta et al., 2002). In the studied area, the road passing

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through agricultural lands may increase heavy elements in the surface soil. In order to investigate

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the effect of road transport on the increase of Pb and Zn concentrations in the soil surrounding
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the road, some soil samples were prepared from the roadside near the agricultural lands. The

samples were collected from four points on both sides of the road at the distances of 10 and 40 m
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and at the two depths of 0-5 and 5-30 cm. Table 2 reports the Pb and Zn concentrations in the
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roadside samples.

Table 2. Mean values of Pb and Zn concentrations in the top soils and the subsoils of the roadside
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samples
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According to Table 2, the Pb and Zn concentrations in the surface soil samples decreases

significantly with distance from the road, but there is just a smaller decrease in the subsoil

samples,. The amounts of Pb and Zn in the topsoil within 40 meters from the road edge reached

85 and 316 mg kg-1, respectively, which is much less than their concentrations in Koushk

agricultural soil. The amount of Pb within 40 meters from the road edge was approximately

equal to the average amount of lead in the rangeland topsoil. This is in line with the results
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reported by Sharma and Prasade (2010) and Atayese et al. (2008), where the Pb discharged from

vehicles was accumulated in the topsoil samples and confined in an expanse of about 30 m from

the road edge. The Pb and Zn concentrations were found to be different in the topsoil and the

subsoil; these two elements in the topsoil were over 1.5 times more than in the subsoil. Both

villages are more than 40 meters away from the road; therefore, the contamination of the

agricultural soil with heavy metals is not caused by the traffic.

Given that many parametric statistical methods require normally distributed data, the Shapiro-

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Wilk test was used to determine whether or not the data were normally distributed. As Table 3

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shows, except for Pb and Zn data in the agricultural soil of Koushk and Zn in the roadside and

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rangeland topsoil samples, all the data were distributed normally. Consequently, the non-
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parametric Kruskal–Wallis H test was used to investigate the Pb and Zn differences between the
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samples. In contrast, the t-test was used to investigate the difference of concentration between

the other heavy metals in the agricultural soil samples taken from the two villages as well as the
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agricultural soil and the rangeland soil samples.

Table 3. Shapiro-Wilk test for normality results

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The results showed that the concentration of the heavy metals in the agricultural soil of the two

villages was significantly different from that in the agricultural soil and rangeland soil samples

(Tables 4 and 5). Apart from antimony, there was a significant difference between the soils of the

two villages in terms of heavy metals. Also, there were significant differences between the

amounts of all the studied elements in the agricultural soil and the rangeland soil. The elements

in the agricultural soil were more in quantity than in the rangeland soil. It can be concluded that

the factors increasing the pollution in agricultural soil are different from those that increase the
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polluting elements in rangeland soil. Thus, in addition to the wind, fertilizers can be considered

as another factor that introduces heavy metals to agricultural soil. As Kong et al. (2018) showed,

not only mining and industry but also organic and chemical fertilizers can increase the amount of

heavy metals in agricultural soil. The amounts of these elements were found different in the

agricultural soil of the two studied sites. The average amount of Ba, Pb and Zn in Koushk soil

samples was 1.5, 26, and 11 times higher than that in Seyyedabad, respectively. In other words,

despite the similar distance of the two villages from the mine tailing and their proximity to each

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other, the concentration of heavy metals in the agricultural is not of the same pattern. So, it is

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concluded that the origins of heavy metals in the soil of the two villages are probably different.

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In the rangeland samples, the difference between the heavy metal concentrations in the topsoil
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and the subsoil was significant (Table 5). The difference between the topsoil and the deep soil in

terms of Pb and Zn concentration suggests that these elements considerably stem from an
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anthropogenic origin. This result is in agreement with the findings of Teutsch et al. (2001); they
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noticed that the accumulation of Pb in topsoil, as compared to subsoil, was due to anthropogenic

activities.
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Table 4. T-test results comparing the heavy metals concentrations in different samples

Table 5. Kruskal–Wallis test results comparing Pb and Zn concentrations in different samples

Given that the amounts of Pb, Zn, and, Ba in the agricultural soil exceeded the permissible level,

the bubble maps of these three elements were plotted (Figures 6 and 7). According to the maps,

the patterns of pollution distribution in the two villages were quite different. In Koushk, the
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concentration of all the three elements in the west was greater than that in the east; in

Seyyedabad, the three elements had a completely different pattern. Therefore, the sources or the

causes of the contamination in the soils of the two villages are probably different.

Figure 6: Map of Pb, Zn and Ba concentrations in the agricultural soil of the village of Koushk

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Figure 7: Map of Pb, Zn, and Ba concentrations in the agricultural soil of the village of Seyyedabad

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4. Conclusion
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In this research, soil samples, the distribution of elemental concentration in agricultural soil, and

the surroundings of two villages, Koushk and Seyyedabad, were compared. The differences
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among the concentrations of heavy metals in topsoil, subsoil and roadside soil were investigated
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too. Anthropogenic activities were found as a major cause of contamination in the agricultural

soil of the villages and the surrounding areas. Considering the wind direction and the slope of the

studied area, it can be inferred that transportation does not play an important role in the release of

heavy metals into the agricultural soil. The concentrations of heavy metals in the agricultural

soils of the two villages are different. The rate of pollution in the agricultural lands of Koushk is

significantly higher than that in Seyyedabad, and the patterns of pollution distribution in the

agricultural soil are not the same. Similarly, the quantity of heavy metal in rangeland soil is
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different from that in agricultural soil. Koushk and Seyyedabad are located at the same distance

from the lead and zinc mine; however, considering the difference in the quantity and distribution

patterns of heavy metals, it can be concluded that the sources of contamination are different.

Notably, the village of Koushk and the lead and zinc mines are located on the slope of one

mountain, and the village of Seyyedabad is on the slope of another one with a different lithology.

Therefore, in addition to agricultural activities such as using fertilizers, lithological features also

play a major role in elemental variation. Hydromorphic mobility of elements has its own impact

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on elemental distribution and amongst them zinc has a higher mobility (Loredo et al., 2020),

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however, the movement of heavy elements towards agricultural lands has been mainly

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influenced by the wind. Additionally, the type of agricultural management and geology of region
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play their role in spatial variations in concentration of elements.
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5. Acknowledgements
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We give special thanks to the medical geology section of the Geological Survey of Iran for its
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analytical support.
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Figure 1. Map of the study area

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Figure 2. Annual wind rose (Mokhtari et al., 2018)

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Figure 3. Geology of the study area

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Fig. 4: Box plot of Ba, Zn and Pb in agricultural soil samples

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Figure 5. Pearson’s coefficients of correlation between heavy metals in the agricultural soil
samples of Koushk and Seyyedabad
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Figure 6: Map of Pb, Zn and Ba concentrations in the agricultural soil of the village of Koushk
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Figure 7: Map of Pb, Zn, and Ba concentrations in the agricultural soil of the village of Seyyedabad
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Table 1 Statistics for heavy metals in agricultural soil and range land

parameter location Ba Co Cr Pb Sb Zn
Kushk 437.80 9.70 66.30 254.50 2.80 220.70
Minimum
Seyyedabad 352.40 9.60 73.70 36.30 1.20 57.60
(mg.kg-1) rangeland 378.00 13.70 33.30 36.90 0.35 101.00
Kushk 701.50 16.10 90.30 6119.80 9.00 877.90
Maximum
Seyyedabad 387.90 12.30 106.90 58.80 12.60 114.80
(mg.kg-1) rangeland 567.00 16.90 78.60 191.42 0.74 165.00
Kushk 550.23 13.82 78.02 1613.10 6.76 463.88
Mean
Seyyedabad 369.89 10.84 87.77 48.59 6.67 93.10
(mg.kg-1) rangeland 452.75 15.68 52.52 87.69 0.474 125.2
Kushk 545.75 14.15 76.75 920.90 7.10 372.95
Medean
Seyyedabad 371.45 10.75 87.15 49.00 5.85 101.45

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rangeland 447.00 16.00 44.30 61.14 0.43 106.00
Kushk 64.19 1.71 6.35 1584.10 1.88 208.33
S.D.

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Seyyedabad 1.05 0.73 9.60 7.63 3.48 20.67
(mg.kg-1) rangeland 51.61 1.22 18.18 71.63 0.15 30.01
Kushk 510.35 12.93 74.38 843.00 5.23 320.57
First quartile Seyyedabad
rangeland
361.20
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10.47 79.55
14.15 41.45
42.50
31.37
4.65 74.62
0.44 104.00
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Kushk 571.67 14.75 83.20 1487.00 8.35 674.65
Third quartile Seyyedabad 675.52 11.32 105.75 55.25 9.03 110.47
rangeland 487.75 17.17 61.72 99.99 1.06 171.00
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Kushk 0.12 0.12 0.08 1.04 0.28 0.45

C.V Seyyedabad 0.027 0.07 0.11 0.16 0.52 0.22
rangeland 0.11 0.12 0.26 0.72 0.42 0.74
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Background 413.00 12.40 40.00 33.90 0.70 160.60

Standard
Agricultural soil 600 50 110 75 10 500
(mg.kg-1)
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Table 2. Mean values of Pb and Zn concentrations in the top soils and the subsoils of the roadside

samples

Distance from Pb (mg kg-1) Zn (mg.kg-1)

the road Top soil subsoil Top soil subsoil
10 m 139 54 466 252
40m 85 42 316 188

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Table 3. Shapiro-Wilk test for normality results

location Parameter Ba Co Cr Pb Sb Zn
S-V value 0.929 0.904 0.960 0.653 0.892 0.849
Kushk agricultural soil
Sig. 0.370 0.179 0.785 0.00 0.124 0.036
S-V value 0.980 0.959 0.972 0.940 0.946 0.902
Seyyedabad agricultural soil
Sig. 0.967 0.774 0.913 0.548 0.623 0.230
S-V value 0.951 0.933 0.980 0.817 0.935 0.578
Range land soil
Sig. 0.285 0.114 0.890 0.001 0.128 0.000
Roadside top soil S-V value -- -- -- 0.912 -- 0.808
Sig. -- -- -- 0.365 -- 0.035
Roadside subsoil S-V value -- -- -- 0.850 -- 0.831
Sig. -- -- -- 0.096 -- 0.061

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Table 4. T-test results comparing the heavy metals concentrations in different samples

Parameter Group Mean ± std. Sig.

Kushk 550.225±18.53
Agricultural soil 0.00
Seyyedabad 369.89±3.18
Agricultural soil 550.225±18.53
Ba Kushk 0.008
Range land soil 464.00±19.26
Agricultural soil 369.89±3.18
Seyyedabad 0.00
Range land soil 464.00±19.26
Kushk 13.82±0.49
Agricultural soil 0.00
Seyyedabad 10.84±0.23
Agricultural soil 13.82±0.49
Co Kushk 0.028
Range land soil 15.68±0.54
Agricultural soil 13.82±0.49

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Seyyedabad 0.00
Range land soil 15.68±0.54
Kushk 78.02±1.83
Agricultural soil 0.015

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Seyyedabad 87.77±3.03
Agricultural soil 78.02±1.83
Cr Kushk 0.001
Range land soil 18.18±8.13
Seyyedabad -p
Agricultural soil
Range land soil
87.77±3.03
18.18±8.13
0.00
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Kushk 6.75±0.54
Agricultural soil 0.94
Seyyedabad 6.67±1.1
Agricultural soil 6.75±0.54
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Sb Kushk 0.00
Range land soil 0.47±0.069
Agricultural soil 6.75±0.54
Seyyedabad 0.002
Range land soil 0.47±0.069
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Table 5. Kruskal–Wallis test results comparing Pb and Zn concentrations in different samples

Parameter Group Mean Kai square Sig.

Kushk 5865.3
Agricultural soil 15.65 0.00
Seyyedabad 22.5
Agricultural soil 5865.3
Pb Kushk 10.00 0.00
Range land soil 154.52
Top soil 48.66
Range land 13.653 0.00
subsoil 33.94
Kushk 657.2
Agricultural soil 15.65 0.00
Seyyedabad 59.2
Agricultural soil 672.2
Zn Kushk 10.00 0.00
Range land soil 64.00

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Top soil 213.83
Range land 6.66 0.01
subsoil 112.41

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Author statement

Mohammad-Javad Ghaneei-Bafghi: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis. Sadat

Feiznia.: supervision. Ahmad Reza Mokhtari: supervision, Writing - Review &
Editing. Mohammad Jaafari: supervision, Investigation. Ali Tavili: Visualization, Ziba
Khodaeian: Resources

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Declaration of interests

☒The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships
that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

☐The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered
as potential competing interests:

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Highlights

- Pollution pattern in agricultural lands in Kushk and Seyyedabad villages, central Iran were studied.

- Lithology plays the main role in metal variations in soil samples

- Apart from anthropogenic factors in agricultural soil, geogenic factors may be important in elevated
areas

- In agricultural lands, in addition to agricultural management, environmental factors corporate into the
distribution of pollution

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