Heavy metals as indicators of parent rocks in a topolithosequence in Triangulo Mineiro, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The present study had the purpose to determine the contents of heavy metals in soil samples of a topolithosequence collected in the Triangulo Mineiro, State of Minas Gerais, in order to test the hypothesis that these elements could be used in the identification and separation of the influence of the parent material. The contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were de termined through two types of concentrated acid attack: HNO3/HClO4 (4:1) an d HF/HNO3/HClO4 (20:6:3), and dosed by espectrophotometry of atomic absorti on. Procedures of multivariated analysis were used for the statistical data evaluation. The results confirm the hypothesis and permitted to conclude t hat the heavy metals are indicator of the parent material, being able to be used for the separation and delimitation of the area of their influence. T he adopted multivariated techniques proved to be viable for this kind of st udy only when analysed as a whole.