Elemental and isotopic composition of silver in selected peat profiles of the Czech Republic

Silver content and isotopic composition were studied in 3 selected 210Pb-dated profiles of ombrotrophic peat bogs in the Jizera Mountains, Ore Mountains and Sumava. The individual peat bogs differ in the rate of peat accumulation and intensity of immission load.All peat bogs show a peak in the 1970s, which is related to the peak of industrial production in Europe and the associated coal burning. This peak is found at a depth of 7-12 cm in the peatlands studied.In peat bogs in the Jizera and Ore Mountains, a smaller peak at a depth of 22-25 cm is followed by a peak in Pb concentration, probably related to Ag metallurgy in the 17th century. This peak is not evident in the Šumava profile, where it is suppressed by elevated Ag concentrations in the underlying rocks.The individual sources of silver are documented by isotopic composition that appears in the studied geochemical archives.