Characterizing trace and major elemental distribution in late Holocene in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China: Paleoenvironmental implications

Principal component analysis (PCA) and enrichment factor (EF) were used to investigate the trace and major element concentrations in peat soils of Sanjiang Plain, northeast China. The results showed that elements and paleoenvironmental proxies could be divided into four factoring trends in the late Holocene: (1) soil character change (conservative trace elements and chemical changes) (F1), (2) water table change (aerobic/anaerobic changes) (F2), (3) ability of heavy metal storage change (F3), and climate dry/wet change (F4). In addition, carbon accumulation rates were affected by climate dry/wet change and human activities influence in the recent 1000 years. Furthermore, the results suggested that the concentrations of pollution elements were controlled by both nature and human activities. Anthropogenic influences are the main source of heavy metals in the study sites in the last 200 years.