Geochemical Atlas of Croatia: Environmental implications and geodynamical thread

Geochemical atlas of Croatia resulted from the regional geochemical survey based on the low-density (1 sample per 25 km2) soil sampling having covered the entire territory of the state. Basically, the collection of maps showing distribution of a set of elements with particular emphasis of possibly harmful elements (PHE) was focused on elucidation of environmental implications brought about by human impact (ingress of Pb, Zn, Cd and other elements derived from anthropogenic sources) against some zero-level represented by geochemical background. However, the effect of blending of anthropogenic and natural (geogene) signal in the upper soil was already recognized during the mapping campaign having steered further research to assessment of geological imprint in the soil geochemical signature. Therefore this work was also aimed at finding appropriate avenues to understanding how both signals behave at various scales (regional or local). Using suitable statistical techniques (posterior probabilities from discriminant function analysis (DFA)) it was found that anthropogenic signal may be completely obliterated by the geogenic geochemical signature at a larger, regional, scale, which is otherwise locally strong and adversely affects the environment (e.g. PHE with regard to the Drava River).

► Manuscript summarizes the results of multiannual geochemical soil mapping of Croatia.
► Conflicting types of bedrock geology reflect in the soil geochemical signature.
► Single-element maps combine geogene and anthropogenic signals across the scales.
► Posterior probability map entirely obliterating anthropogenic signal at regional scale.