Applying Various Pollution Indexes to Evaluate Heavy Metal Pollution and Contamination Levels in Soil of Karadağ Mountain from Turkey

In this study, heavy metal contents in soil fractions were determined in soils formed on the volcanic material of Karadağ (about 20 km north of Karaman province) with selective solutions, sequential extraction method, and the total heavy metal contents were calculated in these fractions. Heavy metal status and contamination levels were determined by using pollution indices instead of comparing them with the reference rock alone. Different pollution indices were used such as Geoaccumulation index (I-geo), pollution load index (PLI), Enrichment factor (EF) and Contamination factor (CF) index. According to all indices used, there was no or very little contamination, except for RAC, and it was determined that these levels did not cause any pollution in the soil. Although no significant pollution or contamination was observed in the soils in the evaluations made using other indices. RAC values showed a high risk especially for Cd. Although not high risk, low risk points were detected in Ni and Pb. This situation clearly reveals that in the pollution assessments, indexes that take mobile fractions into account rather than total values should be used for sensitive areas.