Investigation of soil samples distribution in Bahabad area by ICP-MS, ICP-OES and geochemometrics analysis

In this research, distribution and effect of elements on soil samples in Bahabad, Yazd Province, is presented according to analysis of different elements using ICP-MS, ICP-OES, AF and methods of Geochemometrics. For this purpose, 156 samples were taken from Bahabad, Asfij and Banestan areas and analyzed after sample preparation. In order to investigate distribution of soil samples in the area and the role of effective elements in this distribution, the study was performed in three separate phases, including base elements (Zn, Cu, Sn, Ni, Co, W, Fe, Pb), heavy elements (Cd, Hg, As, Cr, B), and Uranium and Thorium. To explore soil sample distributions, Geochemometrics methods were used, which are defined as computerized, statistical, mathematical and graphical approaches to better understand geoscience data. Therefore, Principal Component Analysis ( PCA), which is a factor analysis method, was used to determine the distribution and effect of elements on samples. It is worth mentioning that some of the most important results of PCA are score and loading of Biplot diagram that are used for proper interpretation of data. Also, K-Nearest Neighbor method (KNN) was used to classify and obtain correlation of the studied elements. Results are applicable to aspects such as Medical Geology, Environmental Geology and Mineral Exploration in order to perform better classification of elements, understanding pollution or mineral sources, and exploring anomalies. Geochemometrics was presented for the first time in this article.