Magnetic Properties and Heavy-metal Contents of Contaminated Seabed Sediments of Pennyʹs Bay, Hong Kong

Magnetic properties and heavy-metal concentrations of vibrocore samples were found to be potential indicators of shipping contamination in seabed sediments in Hong Kong Harbour. Geochemical results of 74 vibrocores located off Pennyʹs Bay on Lantau Island revealed an enrichment of heavy metals in the upper 1–2 m of the cores within the eastern part of the study site. Whole-core magnetic susceptibility measurements also showed a greater concentration of magnetic particles in the surficial layer of these cores. A significant correlation exists between the magnetic susceptibility and the concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu, as well as the Tomlinson pollution load index (PLI). The proximity of these cores to a major navigation fairway and an anchorage site suggests probable contamination of the surficial seabed sediments by shipping-related wastes. A study of the magnetic properties of one of the cores, VT60, revealed a difference in the magnetic properties between the contaminated and the uncontaminated sediments. Samples from the contaminated zone exhibited relatively stronger magnetic remanence and susceptibility. The two groups of samples also formed distinct trends on the hysteresis ratios plot. A level of unusually high magnetic susceptibility within the contaminated zone was attributable to the presence of strongly magnetized granules, which were probably refuse from shipping-related activities. Geochemical and magnetic results were also conducted on samples of different size-fractions from this core. The <63 μm fraction was found to contain a relatively higher magnetic susceptibility and greater heavy-metal content.