Abstract
The article investigates soil contamination with heavy metals (zinc, lead, chromium, and manganese) in the snow and soil cover within the influence zone of thermal power plants and facilities of the petrochemical and metallurgical industries. To assess the anthropogenic impact on deposition environments, an analysis of heavy metal content was conducted using various indices and coefficients. The following were utilized: pollution index, enrichment factor relative to Clarke's concentration of the metal in the Earth's crust and in soils, hazard quotient (exceedance of MPC), as well as an adapted coefficient of heavy metal accumulation in soil relative to its content in snow. The main patterns of accumulation and distribution of chemical elements in soil and snow were identified. The study revealed that manganese predominates in terms of the average content of heavy metals in solid snow sediment and soils. Lead shows the lowest values in snow. In the soil cover, the greatest exceedance of MPC pertains to manganese - by 30 times. The content of other metals also exceeds the soil MPC, except for lead. Significant fluctuations in metal content at different sites indicate the influence of various factors such as wind direction, precipitation, and the presence of other industrial enterprises. Keywords: heavy metals, industrial zone, snow cover, urban soils, pollution index.