Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Using one or some specific property to discriminate the sediment of different sources is impossible. Therefore, properties were selected with attention to the type and properties of sedimentary sources. Thus, the efficiency of tracers for identification of sedimentary sources should be evaluated and obtained results should be recommended for similar areas. Therefore, in this study, the efficiency of rare earth elements in discrimination sediments of lithological units has been investigated. 69 samples collected from surface soil and active walls of channels in 10 lithological unites of the Chandab watershed basin. The amount of rare element earth was determined by using the neutron activation analysis method. Then, the assumptions of discriminant analysis method (1- the variables are distributed normally, 2- the within-group covariance matrices are equal 3-There is no multicollinearity between variables) were evaluated and then were applied. Based on the results, lithological unites fo Chandab Watehrshed classified into five groups and Yb, Sc, Sm, Th and Eu were selected as sedimentary tracers. According to the F method, for coefficients of discriminate functions, the selected elements can discriminate sediments of lithological groups at 95% confidence level. The ability of Sm, Eu, Yb and Sc to successfully discriminate different sources are the same and more than Th.
Keywords
)