N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh.

277/2 (2015), 225–235

Stuttgart, August 2015
Article

Heavy metals distribution as indicator of influence of human activities

in the Caparaó National Park and its surroundings
William Fortes Rodrigues, Marcia Nunes, Adolf Heinrich Horn and Juliana de Santos Oliveira
With 6 figures and 2 tables

Abstract: The creation of protected areas is currently turning into one of the main forms of govern-
ment intervention, in order to reduce damage to biodiversity in the face of environmental degradation
caused by anthropogenic activities. The main objective of this research was to determine the concentra-
tion and the sources of potentially toxic elements in samples from sediments and surface waters at the
area of the Caparaó National Park in order to understand the correlation between the characteristics of
natural and anthropogenic factors and to establish a natural background. Fieldwork was executed in
the eastern and central parts of the Park with the in situ determination of physic-chemical parameters
and the collection of water and sediments samples. Mineral and element detection by XRD, XRF and
ICP-OES were done for selected elements (Cr, Cu, and Pb). Some of the physic-chemical parameters
 
  
 

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environmental legislation. The remaining parameters were within the permitted limits. The results
indicated that the quality of sediment and water in the marginal region and surroundings of the Park is
influence and affected by human activities and that monitoring is necessary to control the increasing
influence of anthropogenic sources in this region.

Key words: Caparaó Range, Caparaó National Park, land use, sediment quality, water quality, heavy
metal contamination

1. Introduction tal quality and to identify the natural or anthropogenic

Due to the development and accelerated growth of
world population, natural areas are being reduced in
a very rapid way. Conservation units are being cre-
ated as an effort to resolve this problem. Management
practices are requiring environmental holistic plan-
ning, because the created units comprise geographical
areas that are divided between land under natural con-
ditions and human activities. It is necessary to create
an integrated territorial solution, which combines all
features. However, in order to carry out such planning,
it is necessary to assess and monitor the environmen-
factors which cause changes.
The soil use and human occupation in and near
conservation units is usually characterized by activi-
ties as small industry, garages, traffic, tourism, ag-
riculture and pasture, compromising the quality of
entire area indicated by alteration of water and sedi-
ments quality. These changes are mainly caused by
direct anthropogenic activity, also by the chemical
composition of the rain and surface waters leading
to changes in rocks-water interaction and liberating
compounds by stronger corrosive interaction.
Chemical studies of river sediments quality have

©2015 E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany www.schweizerbart.de

DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/2015/0501 0077-7749/2015/0501 $ 2.75