Chemical properties and magnetic susceptibility as proxy indicators of past settlement activities on contemporary arable soil in the Czech Republic

Past settlement sites are associated with the accumulation and depletion of many elements. The effects of past settlement activities on recent arable land-use are not well known. The study aimed to determine the effect of past human activities on contemporary arable soil according to the physical and chemical properties and magnetic susceptibility. We studied anthroposols developed on metamorphic maritime sediment of Proterozoic age in an Early Medieval to 1945 settlement, Bela nad Radbuzou, Czech Republic. The study compared the anthroposols with surrounding control of the same geological substrate unaffected by past settlement activities. The originally brown Luvic Cambisol in control turned black in the settlement site mainly due to the decomposition of organic wastes and partly from charcoal inclusion, with a high proportion of clay. The anthroposols additionally were characterized by reduced acidity and higher accumulation of total (P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, and Rb) and plant-available (mehlich-3 P, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, and Zn) elements compared to the control. Furthermore, anthropogenic stress was well recorded by the magnetic susceptibility of soil from the anthroposols, with a significant correlation to the Ca, Mn. Cu, Zn, and Pb. Magnetic susceptibility can, therefore, be a suitable proxy indicator for past settlement activities. The comparatively lower releasability (proportion of elements available for plants from the total content) of P, Ca, Cu, and Zn in the settlement site explains why their signatures in archaeological localities are very stable and long-lasting. Total P correlated well with total K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Rb, rendering them suitable indicators of past human settlement activities. Past settlement activities on contemporary arable soils can be reflected by high elemental composition and magnetic susceptibility, even after many years. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All tights reserved.