Geoloski anali Balkanskoga poluostrva 2018 Volume 79, Issue 2, Pages: 29-39
https://doi.org/10.2298/GABP1802029A
Full text ( 5772 KB)
Distribution of chromium, nickel, copper and zinc in the Al Zintan area, northwestern Libya
Alzarog Taher Mohamed (Singidunum University, Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura, Belgrade)
Vakanjac Boris (Singidunum University, Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura, Belgrade)
Jelić Ivana (Singidunum University, Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura, Belgrade)
Ristić Vakanjac Vesna (Faculty of Mining and Geology, Belgrade)
Naunović Zorana (Faculty of Civil Engineering, Belgrade)
Gajić Vuk (Singidunum University, Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura, Belgrade)
Đorđević-Milošević Suzana (Singidunum University, Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura, Belgrade)
Global population is growing rapidly. As a result, increasingly large areas
are being settled and farmed. This devastates soils and causes pollution by
heavy metals and other components. Heavy metals in the environment originate
from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Natural sources generally
include rock weathering and the propagation of heavy metals, such as Cr and
Ni, from ultrabasic rocks. These are natural processes that generally do not
threaten human health. Anthropogenic sources include industry and
inappropriate disposal of waste in the environment. In such cases
concentrations of heavy metals can be harmful to people and other living
beings. Al Zintan is a city located in northwestern Libya, on a plateau
mainly built up of Cretaceous sediments. Since the 1980’s, nomadic
population has rapidly been settling this area. As a result, a former part
of the desert was transformed and is used for farming. Soil sampling at Al
Zintan was conducted in 2017, across a 2×2 km grid. A total of 143 samples
were collected from depths of about 30 cm. The samples weighed 2 to 2.5 kg
and generally comprised sand with a clay component. A Niton Xl3t goldd+
instrument was used for chemical analyses, based on which GIS heavy-metal
distribution maps were generated. The distribution of Cr, Ni, Cu and Zn is
discussed on the paper.
Keywords: heavy metals, distribution, sampling, Al Zintan, Libya