Geostatistical analysis of Fe and Zn concentrations in range and farm lands, Case study: Absard Region of Damavand

Heavy metals are found naturally with different amounts in all soils and knowledge on their spatial and temporal variations plays an important role in the sustainable management of ecosystems. This study aimed to assess the distribution of various amounts of iron and zinc in Absard Region of Damavand. For this purpose, 60 soil samples were taken from range and farm lands with an area of 4,000 hectares. The total amount of zinc and iron was measured using atomic absorption as 96/66 and 20743 mg kg, respectively. In order to predict the spatial distribution of total zinc and iron, methods of Kriging and inverse distance function were used and the most appropriate model for interpolation was selected by means of cross validation and error evaluation methods. Results showed that for zoning soil properties, Kriging methods are superior compared to IDW (inverse distance weighting). Finally, with regard to the most appropriate model for interpolation, zoning maps of soil properties were produced in GIS.