Heavy Metal Pollution and the Magnetic Characteristics of the River Sediments in Bi River Basin of Yunnan Province, China

The upstream of Bi River is originated from the Laping Lead-zinc Mine which is the biggest one in China. Therefore, Bi River was affected by mining activities of Lanping Lead-zinc Mine, and had become a typically polluted river by heavy metals. According to the measurement on the magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal pollution in the sediments of Bi River River, the present situation of heavy metal pollution in the river sediments was delineated, with a simple and effective method to monitor the heavy metal pollution in river sediments around mineral mining sites. The results indicate that: (1) The magnetic susceptibility of upper and lower stream are different, while the pollution of heavy metal has the same characteristics, because the Bi River was influenced by the exploitation of mining activities of Lanping Lead-zinc in upper stream. (2) The regression analysis indicates that: the magnetic susceptibility and the content of heavy metal in sediments are correlated significantly. (3) The magnetic susceptibility can be an effective, convenient and economical method to monitor the pollution degree of heavy metal in river sediments.