Asian Journal of Chemistry Vol. 22, No. 6 (2010), 4823-4830 Evaluation of Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Soil Samples Collected from Harrapa-Sahiwal (Pakistan) MUHAMMAD IMRAN*, AMIN-UL-HAQ KHAN†, AZIZ-UL-HASSAN†, FARAH KANWAL, MITU LIVIU‡, MUHAMMAD AMIR and MUHAMMAD ADNAN IQBAL Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Tel: (92)(300)4394309; E-mail: imran_inorganic@yahoo.com The soil of different sites of the Harappa museum situated at Sahiwal district was collected and investigated for pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, micronutrients and macronutrients. The soil is saline sodic. pH was found to be in the range of 7.62-8.27 which is slightly neutral to basic. Electrical conductivity was in the range 8.9-12.0 mS/ cm while percentage of organic matter was 0.276-1.035. The elements like Na, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Ni, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se, B, P, N, S, Cl were found in the range, Na (1035-9050 mg/kg), K (3050-6000 mg/kg), Ca (153- 260 mg/kg), Mg (259-689 mg/kg), Zn (31-85 mg/kg), Ni (7.3-17.8 mg/ kg), Cu (70-91 mg/kg), Mn (3.1-20.3 mg/kg), Mo (16.1-24.4 mg/kg), Se (0.01-0.062 mg/kg), B (6.7-16.6 mg/kg), P (164-696 mg/kg), N (5.76- 13.38 mg/kg), S (62-281.3 mg/kg), Cl (102.3-200 mg/kg), respectively. The overall contents of the above parameters were found to be above permissible limits. The main purpose of the study is to report physico- chemical composition of soil of archaeological interest and to provide guidelines for the restoration and rehabilitation of vegetation. Key Words: Soil, Metal ions, Permissible limits, Sahiwal, Pakistan. INTRODUCTION Soil is the unconsolidated mineral on the surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of plants. It is formed from rocks by physical, chemical and biological weathering 1 . Soil consists of various constituents such as minerals, organic matter, water and air 2-4 . An average soil is 45 % mineral, 25 % water, 25 % air and 5 % organic matter 5 . Soil is the basic medium providing majority of food items to the living organisms but its degradation has become a major global concern for the last few years as a result of increasing demands of land for food production. In Pakistan 90 % soils are deficient in nitrogen and phosphorous, whereas, 50 % soils have insufficient potash in addition to micronutrients 6,7 . The previous studies show that as a result of increase in salt concentration and pH of the soil due to †Sustainable Development Study Centre, G.C. University, Lahore, Pakistan. ‡Department of Physics and Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Pitesti, Pitesti-110040, Romania.