Magnetic and soil parameters as a potential indicator of soil pollution in the district of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences 2022-02, Vol.81 (3), Article 75
• Main Authors: Murthuza, K. Mohammed, Surumbarkuzhali, N., Narasimhan, C. Lakshmi, Thirukumaran, V., Chandrasekaran, A., Ganesh, Durai, Ravisankar, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Biogeosciences; Clay; Clay minerals; Cluster analysis; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Environmental Science and Engineering; Factor analysis; Frequency dependence; Geochemistry; Geology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Industrial pollution; Magnetic methods; Magnetic permeability; Magnetic studies; Magnetic susceptibility; Minerals; Multivariate statistical analysis; Original Article; Parameter identification; Parameters; Physicochemical processes; Physicochemical properties; Pollution sources; Samples; Sand; Silt; Soil; Soil analysis; Soil pollution; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Statistics; Susceptibility; Terrestrial Pollution; Urban studies
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-022-10196-0

Magnetic methods are simple, quick, and cost-effective for detecting the degree of pollution. The prime objective of this study was to determine the magnetic susceptibility in the soil samples of Tiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu to identify the pollution and sources of pollution from anthropogenic sources or natural sources using magnetic susceptibility studies and rigorous statistical analysis. Using standard protocol and procedure, the physicochemical properties such as percentage of sand, silt, clay, pH and electrical conductivity in the soil samples were determined. The findings of the study reveal that sand was the dominant particle size in samples, followed by silt and then clay. In the laboratory, magnetic susceptibility at low and high frequencies ( χ lf and χ hf) as well as frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility ( χ fd) were determined. The mean value of low- and high-frequency magnetic susceptibility is found to be 273.38 × 10 −8  m 3  kg −1 and 270.50 × 10 −8  m 3  kg −1 , respectively. In some locations, the magnetic enhancement value suggests a high concentration of ferrimagnetic minerals in the soil. Multivariate statistical analysis, such as factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and cluster analysis was used to determine the role of physicochemical parameters on magnetic susceptibilities and the identification of pollution sources. This analysis revealed that magnetic susceptibility can be used as a proxy for determining pollution in the soil. These methods emphasize that magnetic susceptibility studies broaden the spectrum of research in the field of magnetic studies on urban and industrial pollution.