Research on the eco-geochemical effects of black shales in Pingli County, Shaanxi

This paper presents the results of eco-geochemical research on black rock series enriched in metallic elements in Pingli County, Shaanxi Province, which lies at the northern margin of the Yangtze Platform. There is a suite of bone coal-bearing black carbonaceous rocks in the Cambrian Donghe Formation throughout the region. Soils in Pingli contain high metallic elements derived from the bone coal and carbonaceous rocks. Edible plants growing in the soils contain high Se, Cu and Mo. Two case studies are documented. One is a black shale area with bone coal and Se enrichment, and the other is a black shale area with bone coal mine and copper mineralization. Eco-geochemical effects of metallic element-rich black shales on plants are reported in this paper. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]