Geochemical mapping of heavy metals around Sukinda–Bhuban area in Jajpur and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha, India

As a part of National Geochemical Mapping (NGCM) programme, regional geochemical mapping was carried out around Sukinda–Bhuban area lying in Jajpur and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha, India. According to the guidelines of NGCM, 698 stream sediment samples were collected at a density of 1 sample per km² out of which 179 composite samples were prepared for chemical analysis. An area of about 728 km² bounded by latitude 20°45′N–21°00′N and longitude 85°45′E–86°00′E covering toposheet number 73H/13 was surveyed in the year 2013–2014. Elemental baseline geochemical maps were prepared using logarithmic transformation of original concentration values of stream sediment/slope wash samples collected from the study area. Geochemical maps of six heavy metals, viz. Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn have been produced in this paper and spatial correlations have been found between the underlying geology and element abundances in the sampled media. The northwestern and northeastern parts of the study area contaminated with heavy metals viz. Cr and Ni are also identified which need immediate attention for environmental and societal purposes.