Ioana CHIRA¹, Gheorghe DAMIAN^1,2 & Răzvan CHIRA^2
1Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Department of Geology, 20A Carol I Boulevard, 700505 Iaşi, Romania
e-mail:yoanann29@yahoo.ccom
²Tehnical University of Cluj Napoca, North University Center of Baia Mare, 62/A, Dr. Victor Babeş, Baia Mare, Romania, loricadamian@ubm.ro

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS IN THE SOILS OF BĂIUŢ AREA, MARAMUREŞ COUNTY, ROMANIA

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Soil pollution is one of the key issues requiring priority resolution in a small mining area Băiuţ – Văratic. A field survey was conducted to investigate the metal contamination in soils of Băiuţ Văratec base metal mining area, near Baia Mare, northwestern Romania. Based on detailed geochemical and mineralogical analyses, carried out on soil samples, dump samples and tailing dam samples were made pollutant distribution maps. The results show high values for Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn,Ni and As. The values for heavy metals in soil are between 17.23 – 2184.1 ppm for Cu, 18.98 – 6362 ppm for Pb, 101.12 – 2834.7 ppm for Zn, 0.12-20.9 ppm for Cd, 1.52 – 311.4 ppm for Ni and between 0.004 – 266.7 ppm for As. The analysis of distribution maps for all elements clearly marked polluted areas that are close to the sources of pollution, waste dumps and tailings dams. The main environmental impact of the Văratec Băiuţ mine consists in soil contamination with heavy metals through acid mine drainage. The final results illustrated that the environment has been polluted by industrial activities.