Moss as an indicator of rare earth elements across the area of the volcanogenic deposit in the Allchar Locality, North Macedonia

The use of biomonitors (mosses, lichens) in measuring air pollution can help provide a reliable picture of pollution. Currently, regulatory monitoring of air pollution does not measure the content of rare earth elements (REEs). However, the need for monitoring their presence in the environment has increased significantly due to their broader application in industry, electronics, high technology, and their toxicological implications and health effects. This study provides an overview of the distribution of REEs in moss samples from the area of the volcanogenic As-Sb-Tl deposit of Allchar, North Macedonia. Elemental contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). From the results, it can be deduced that both the light and heavy REEs have very similar distributions in the study area. Higher contents of these elements were found in moss samples in the southeastern part of the area, where Quaternary Pliocene latite breccias and Quaternary Pliocene tuffs predominate, indicating the similarity of their distribution in the soils of this area.