Ten new soil Reference Materials (BGS110 to BGS119) characterised for 64 major, minor, and trace elements

There is an ongoing need for well characterised soil reference materials to provide user confidence in analytical data. A suite of ten soils spanning a wide range of soil parent materials, organic carbon content and texture was developed. These materials were analysed by nine international laboratories, yielding total elemental mass fractions measured directly or following preparation by fusion or digestion procedures. Data are presented for 64 major, minor, and trace elements, including bromine and iodine which are rarely included in such analyte suites. Due to the diverse concentrations of economically and environmentally significant elements, these materials can support a wide variety of users. Reference Values, mean and uncertainty, have been assigned for 29 to 33 elements, complemented by Information Values for 31 to 35 elements. The distributions of elemental mass fractions are discussed in the context of expected natural ranges, exemplified for As, Br, Cd, Co, Cr, I, La, Li, Mo, Mn, Ni, S, Sb, Se, U and Zn. Additional supporting data, including pH, loss on ignition, and Hg mass fractions, further extend the utility of these materials. The materials are available in portions of 24 to 46 g from the BGS for use when analysing samples with similar soil matrices.