Heavy Metal and Soil Property Correlations from 948 Topsoil Samples

948 topsoil samples form the basis for Spearman correlation coefficients between heavy metal(loid) concentrations and soil characteristics. The dataset, authored by Holly L. Heafner, includes statistical significance indicators for correlations at p < 0.05. It was last updated on March 18, 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify significant statistical relationships between heavy metals and soil organic matter based on the correlation coefficients.
• Assess contamination profiles in urban or roadside settings based on the platform tags suggesting these contexts.
• Calculate pollution indices using the provided correlation data and local geochemical backgrounds referenced in the tags.

Strengths

• Correlation coefficients are provided for a substantial sample size of 948 topsoil samples.
• Statistical significance of correlations is explicitly marked for p < 0.05.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the correlation matrix is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Holly L. Heafner via figshare

Collection Method

Likely derived from analysis of 290 composite topsoils, as suggested by platform tags.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 17:37:32; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Platform tags suggest potential USA focus, but not explicitly confirmed.