Geogenic Control of Heavy Metals Across Contrasting Geomorphic Units in the Chaldoran Region (NW Iran): Insights from Pollution Indices and Multivariate Analysis

Geogenic Control of Heavy Metals Across Contrasting Geomorphic Units in the Chaldoran Region (NW Iran): Insights from Pollution Indices and Multivariate Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Geogenic Control of Heavy Metals Across Contrasting Geomorphic Units in the Chaldoran Region (NW Iran): Insights from Pollution Indices and Multivariate Analysis Ashraf Malekian, Sirous Shakeri This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9408533/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Heavy-metal contamination in soils is a major environmental concern, with inputs originating from both geogenic and anthropogenic sources. Distinguishing between these contributions is essential for reliable environmental assessment and sustainable soil-management planning. This study examines the vertical and spatial distribution of heavy metals and evaluates multiple pollution indices across distinct geomorphic units in the Chaldoran region of northwestern Iran. Six representative soil pedons were excavated across plains, floodplains, alluvial fans, pediments, and piedmont plains, and concentrations of major elements and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were quantified. Pollution indices including EI, I_geo, PI, and PLI were calculated, and statistical analyses—correlation coefficients and coefficients of variation—were applied to clarify elemental origins and co-behavior. Major elements such as Si, Al, and Fe occurred at the highest concentrations, with their distribution patterns primarily governed by basaltic–igneous parent materials and Quaternary deposits. Potentially toxic elements (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd) remained below established threshold values across all geomorphic units, with only slight increases in cultivated areas likely linked to agricultural inputs. Pollution indices consistently classified the soils as non-polluted to slightly polluted, and no geomorphic unit exhibited critical contamination levels. Positive correlations between major elements and selected PTEs further confirmed a predominantly geogenic origin. Overall, the findings demonstrate that geomorphology, parent material, and erosional–depositional processes are the principal controls on heavy-metal behavior, while anthropogenic influences are limited and localized. These results provide a scientific basis for establishing soil-quality reference values and informing sustainable land-management strategies in cold semi-arid environments. Biological sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences Heavy metals Geogenic sources Pollution indices Soil geochemistry Chaldoran (Iran) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Acknowledgements This work is financially supported by Payame Noor University Author contributions S.Sh Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Investigation, Validation and A.M. Review & Edit­ing, Project administration, Visualization and Review & Editing. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests Supplementary Files Highlight.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9408533","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":633769719,"identity":"456ab6ee-a425-47f6-8c8d-6e63a9850a1b","order_by":0,"name":"Ashraf Malekian","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Payame Noor University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ashraf","middleName":"","lastName":"Malekian","suffix":""},{"id":633769722,"identity":"6ce118d1-a2f6-48ea-8411-578d5280573f","order_by":1,"name":"Sirous Shakeri","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZjD5r56fgYGNJC0HEiQbiNbCANVicIBYLfLtvA8f/txxJ8/4RvKzBx8qGOT5xQ7g12JwmN3YmPfMs2KzG2nmhjPOMBjOnJ1AQAszG5s0Yxsz47YbCWbSvG0MCQa3CWiRb2Zjk/wJ1LJ5Rvo34rQwHGZjk+BtO5y4QSKHSFsMDrMxA/2SZixx5k2Z5IwzEoT9It9/jBEYYjZy/O3p2yQ+VNjI80sTchgIMDYACQGwSgkilMO18B8gUvUoGAWjYBSMOAAAcek/ljkxwzcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Payame Noor University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sirous","middleName":"","lastName":"Shakeri","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-13 21:53:44","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9408533/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9408533/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109300826,"identity":"bd429c67-df2f-424c-96a9-58c941d6d52d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-15 09:24:11","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":664712,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Article.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9408533/v1_covered_2615928a-6dc2-4212-98df-04a165fe68b5.pdf"},{"id":108510348,"identity":"c5f4facc-f623-499b-baa8-c0d934bace0e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-05 12:37:58","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":12466,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Highlight.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9408533/v1/fc418d85109df549ee6f847d.docx"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eNo competing interests reported.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis work is financially supported by Payame Noor University\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eS.Sh Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Investigation, Validation and A.M. 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