Keywords: 
• particulate matter /
• aerosol /
• air pollution

Abstract: The samples of fine and coarse particulate matter in air have been collected by Gent Stacked Filter Unit sampler at representative clean site of Huabei. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method were used to determine the elemental composition of the particulate matter. Average elemental con centrations and enrichment factors were calculated for the fine (<2μm) and coarse (10 -2μm) size fractions. According to concentration of the particulate matter obtained at one site of Huabei and the chemical constituents of the aerosols the different sources of them was discussed. The results show that the relative particulate mass and elemental concentrations of crustal and pollutant elements in the particulates collected over the rural are lower than urban. At rural site, the average particulate mass concentrations in fine fraction was larger than in coarse fraction, but at urban site a reverse trend was observed. It may be indicater that the rural aerosols mainly come from long-range transport of natural and anthropogenic pollutants, which transported from urban to rural area by wind.