A study of the spatial distribution and source of heavy metals in urban soil in Shijiazhuang City

Two hundred and twenty topsoil samples were collected successively in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. All topsoil samples were analyzed for concentrations of Al₂O₃, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. The results indicated that, compared with the background values of soil in China, metal concentrations of topsoil have increased on the whole, except those of As and Al₂O₃ in Shijiazhuang City. Correlation coefficient analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed and three main sources were identified: (1) Pb, Zn and Cu are mainly derived from industrial production and traffic exhaust; (2) Ni, Cr and Cd are probably related not only to industrial production but also to coal combustion; (3) Al₂O₃ and As are mainly derived from soil parent material. High concentrations of heavy metals in topsoil are consistent with the distribution of industrial areas and traffic distribution.