Risk assessment of trace metals in an extreme environment sediment: shallow, hypersaline, alkaline, and industrial Lake Acıgöl, Denizli, Turkey

The major and trace element component of 48 recent sediment samples in three distinct intervals (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) from Lake Acıgöl is described to present the current contamination levels and grift structure of detrital and evaporate mineral patterns of these sediments in this extreme saline environment. The spatial and vertical concentrations of major oxides were not uniform in the each subsurface interval. However, similar spatial distribution patterns were observed for some major element couples, due mainly to the detrital and evaporate origin of these elements. A sequential extraction procedure including five distinct steps was also performed to determine the different bonds of trace elements in the