Discrimination of lithogenic and anthropogenic influences on topsoil magnetic susceptibility in Central Europe

The study was performed on the area of the three countries involved in the MAGPROX project (Poland, Czech Rep., Germany). In the first stage the basic map of magnetic susceptibility based on the field topsoil measurement was compiled with an average grid density of 10 km. In the second stage of the study, vertical distribution of magnetic susceptibility of ca. 600 topsoil cores (0.3 m long), collected over central Europe, was examined with respect to the anthropogenic or lithogenic influence on magnetic susceptibility of the soil surface, with the focus being on the interpretation of the areas showing high surface susceptibility values. The maximum values were mostly observed in depths of 3–4 cm. In general seven different types of susceptibility profiles from forest areas and one typical for urban soil are presented. They are a result of a combination of natural (litho- and pedogenic) and anthropogenic contributions. Our results prove that soil profiles, dominated by anthropogenic influence due to atmospherically deposited dust, are characterized by magnetically enhanced humuous layer, corresponding to layer with the highest concentration of heavy metals. Moreover, forest soils show in these cases higher magnetic susceptibility than soils in open areas (grassland, meadows or arable soils).     

Recultivation and landscaping in areas after brown-coal mining in middle-east European countries

The research on the reclamation of areas devastated by open cast mining has a long tradition in the Middle-East European Countries. Results obtained from the research in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Rumania, Russia and Estonia are summarized. Mining technologies, law regulations and the physiogeographical situation of the mining regions are different in the particular countries. This resulted in different reclamation strategies in these countries. In Poland, forest recultivation is of great importance because of the physical and chemical properties of the uppermost layers of the dumps, whereas in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Rumania agricultural recultivation is more important. The results of studies on the forest recultivation of dumps in Estonia are of great interest, because they have been carried out for more than 50 years.     

Seasonal Changes of Magnetic Susceptibility in Sediments from Lake Zywiec (South Poland)

Lake Zywiec is a man-made lake constructed in 1965 on the Sola River, Beskidy Mountains (South Poland). The lake is the largest one in a flood control reservoir system known as the Sola Cascade. In May and September 1970, separated by a big flood event in July, the lake was sampled for rock magnetic, chemical and granulometric studies. In 85% of the September samples, susceptibility decreases by 10 to 40% compared to the value measured in May. Seasonal changes are also observed in the total Fe content and some heavy metals. A general decrease in Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu and Cr content during the summer season was observed in the whole lake. The content of other metals such as Mn and Ni increased in samples taken in September. The changes observed in the lake sediments could be only an accidental result of the flood or may indeed result from seasonal changes fostered by the flood effect.