From rock to soil: geochemical pathway of elements in Cosenza and Rende area (Calabria, southern Italy)

Ilaria Guagliardi (a), Nicola Ricca (a) & Domenico Cicchella (b)
(a) National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean (ISAFOM), Via Cavour 4/6, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy. Corresponding author. E-mail: ilaria.guagliardi@isafom.cnr.it (b) Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy

The parent materials slowly release the elements over time as part of the natural weathering process. As molecules of an element move between their various forms, they come to a dynamic equilibrium that shifts according to certain soil conditions, including: pH, texture, aeration of the soil, and the presence of other ions. In this study, 149 samples of topsoil (0-10 cm) were collected in the municipalities of Cosenza and Rende (Calabria, southern Italy) and analyzed for 36 elements by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In addition, 18 rock samples were collected on outcrops of whole area and analyzed by ICP-ES and ICP-MS. Elemental concentrations in soil are primarily controlled by the geochemical composition of bedrock, with some notable exceptions ascribing to anthropogenic factors.

Bedrocks, Elements, Geochemistry, Lithological control, Soils.