Search results for "volcanic soil"

A self-consistent quantification of contributions to differential TGA results of volcanic soil samples

2002

Rainwater-induced leaching of selenium, arsenic and vanadium from Etnean volcanic soils

2009

Active volcanoes emit considerable amounts of contaminants such as As, Se and V. Mount Etna is the biggest volcano of Europe and an excellent geochemical site to study water-soil processes. Due to its volcanic activity, the rainwater has a strong compositional gradient, both in time and space. At present, the behaviour of trace elements in the soils around Mt Etna is poorly understood. To determine the influence of the rainwater pH on the potential mobilization of geogenic pollutants, batch experiments have been performed with synthetic rainwater for 25 soils collected along the flanks of the volcano. Our results show that: i) The maximum concentrations in the leaching solutions are higher …

Selenium around Etna Volcano, Italy

2010

Humans are attracted by the fertile properties of volcanic soils and currently around 10% of the world population lives within active volcanic areas. Volcanoes emit significantly amounts of potentially toxic elements such as selenium (Se), even in the absence of obvious volcanic activity. Although Se is an essential element for humans, ingestion of an excess amount of Se can produce adverse effects. Mt. Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe, is persistently active for the last 200,000 years and one of the most intensely monitored volcanoes. We have studied selenium in rainwater and soils from Mt Etna volcano. Bulk depositions were collected from April 2006 to December 2007, using a network of…

Chemical weathering of volcanic rocks, Pantelleria Island: information from soil profile and soil solution investigations

2007

Concentrations of major, minor and trace elements were determined in soil profiles and soil solutions from the island of Pantelleria, Sicily Channel, to evaluate the weathering extent of soils evolved on trachytic and pantelleritic rocks and the aqueous transport of elements by their soil solutions. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) indicates a low-to-moderate degree of weathering; consistently, the mineralogical and geochemical imprints of the parent rocks are generally preserved. The chemical weathering appears to be incongruent, owing to primary minerals and glass dissolving to a variable degree while secondary minerals have formed. Based on the calculated saturation state of primar…