Levels of Hg and other chemical elements in volcanic ash fall samples erupted from Mt. Sakurajima, Japan

ABSTRACTMt. Sakurajima is a volcanic island in Japan, and a big city, Kagoshima, is quite close to the active volcano. Samples of volcanic ash fall erupted from Mt. Sakurajima were collected at several locations in Kagoshima City and analyzed for Hg and other elements, including major (Mg, Al, Ca, and Fe) and trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, As, and Pb). The concentrations of Hg varied from 6.3 to 124 ng g−1, with the amounts of ash varying from 13 to 1230 g m−2 month−1. The Hg concentrations tended to be higher when the monthly amounts of ash fall were lower; other elements did not show such a tendency.