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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon

Published on: October 16, 2018

Landscape Position and Burn Intensity Influence Heat-Induced Soil Chromium Contamination.

Chelsea S Obeidy^1,2, Markus W Koeneke¹, Owen W Duckworth³

¹Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, 1272 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States.

Environmental Science & Technology

|November 25, 2025

Summary

Wildfires can create toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in soils. Burn intensity and soil position significantly control Cr(VI) generation and its risk to water quality.

Keywords:

hexavalent chromium iron soil and water quality soil minerals weathering wildfire

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Geochemistry
Soil Science

Background:

Wildfires are increasing globally, impacting environmental and human health.
Fire-induced oxidation of chromium (Cr) in soils generates hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), a mobile and carcinogenic pollutant.
Controls on Cr(VI) generation and mobility across landscapes are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify how burn intensity and landscape position influence Cr(VI) generation and mobility in serpentine soils.
To assess the long-term risks of Cr(VI) contamination in post-wildfire environments.

Main Methods:

Analysis of natural soil samples from a serpentine soil toposequence.
Laboratory experiments simulating wildfire burn conditions.
Spectroscopic analyses to characterize chromium speciation and mineral transformations.
Column experiments to evaluate Cr(VI) mobility and persistence.

Main Results:

Maximum Cr(VI) generation occurred in summit soils burned at 400 °C, with concentrations decreasing downslope.
Cr(VI) was primarily associated with poorly ordered (oxy)hydroxides formed at 200-600 °C.
Cr(VI) availability was negligible in soils burned at 800 °C due to Cr incorporation into new minerals.
Cr(VI) efflux from burned soils could exceed drinking water standards for up to two years post-fire.

Conclusions:

Fire intensity and geomorphic context (soil weathering) are key factors controlling Cr(VI) risks.
Post-wildfire Cr(VI) contamination poses a significant threat to soil and water quality.
Understanding these controls is crucial for managing environmental risks in fire-affected landscapes.