Detailed magnetic measurements were performed on urban soils with two different types (waterloggogenic paddy soil and grey fluvo-aquic soil)nearby the Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation (WISC),China.Results indicate that the magnetic properties of the soil significantly depend on the soil type:magnetic susceptibility,ARM and SIRM for grey fluvo-aquic soil are higher than those for waterloggogenic paddy soil,however it is contrary for frequency-dependent susceptibility,such as the mean SIRM and xfd% of subsoil are 1327.11x10-5 Am2kg-1 and 5.7% for the waterloggogenic paddy soil,1928.81×10-5 Am2kg-1 and 3.0% for grey fluvo-aquic soil,respectively.The predominant magnetic carrier in topsoil closed to the WISC is MD/PSD magnetite.SEM/EDX examination of the magnetic extracts from these topsoil revealed that these spherical particles with diameters of 10-50 μm are rich in iron-oxides,which could be attributed to the nearby industrial activities (e.g.steel work and power generation).The spherical particles have various morphologies:orange-peel structure,hollow structure with adhered smaller particles,splitting surface and spherule with slick surface,reflecting that these magnetic particles have suffered different degree of weathered or dissolution under the soil conditions,which can deplete the anthropogenic enhancement of topsoil magnetism.Finally,these results suggest that the interpretation of magnetic properties as pollution proxy must be done on a site-specific basis,taking into account the possibilities of pedogenic enhancement,pedogenic dilution or depletion under the specific soil conditions.