Spatial distribution and environmental assessment of heavy metals in the soil of the Huaibei mining area

To investigate the spatial distribution of heavy metals and environmentally evaluate heavy metals in soil, 311 soil samples were taken from the Huaibei mining area, and the content of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As in these samples were measured. Results show that the six heavy metals are enriched to a certain extent in soil, with Zn being the most enriched metal element. Enrichment of Cu, Zn, and Pb is the result of human activities such as coal mining, use of chemical fertilizers, and transportation. A joint effect of natural and human activities enriched Cr and Ni. Natural factors, such as the soil parent material, play a role in the spatial distribution of As. Environment evaluation results show that the Huaibei mining area is in general slightly polluted or not polluted by heavy metals and faces only minor environmental risk.