Using Induced Polarisation to Identify Elevated Concentrations of Metals in Soils from Point Sources

Summary Metal concentrations’ data for surface soils contaminated with zinc were compared with conductivity and chargeability data. All but one site had soil zinc concentrations 15 to 40 times higher within one metre of the contaminant source than at 50 metres (Table 1). Induced Polarisation (IP) data collected at these sites confirmed the inversely proportional relationship of soil zinc concentration with distance from the source. Introduction Electrical transmission towers constructed from steel and galvanized with a zinc protective layer release substantial zinc into the surface soil around the tower as environmental forces cause leaching of the zinc coating (Jones and