en تخصصي Special مقاله اصیل Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Introduction: Heavy metal contamination of water bodies poses an environmental risk, especially in high-mountain ecosystems that serve as basin headwaters. Sediments play a crucial role since they accumulate various elements that can be released into the water, affecting the quality of the aquatic environment. Many studies do not distinguish between pollution sources in tributaries/effluents and in lakes, which limits precise identification of their origins and behaviour and hinders effective pollution management.<br> Methods: The objective of this study was to determine the origin of chemical elements in the tributaries/effluent and interior of a high Andean lagoon. Metal samples (Fe, Al, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Hg) were collected, and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify sources of contamination.<br> Results: In the tributaries and effluent, Fe, Al, and Zn presented the highest concentrations, with Hg, Cd, and As amounts exceeding the risk thresholds at several points, especially Hg and Cd in the Vilque River. In the lagoon, significant accumulation of Hg and Cd was detected near the tributaries, and high concentrations of As were detected in several areas. The PCA explained 91.65% of the variance, differentiating anthropogenic sources (Hg, Cd, Cu, Zn) from natural sources (Al, Cr, Fe, Ni).<br> Conclusion: Tributaries transport pollutants, facilitating the accumulation of Hg and Cd in lagoon sediments. The results provide a better understanding of the behaviour of metals in the ecosystem and contribute to environmental management.</div> Conservation of natural resources, Environmental monitoring, Lakes, Heavy metals, Principal component analysis 1 10 http://ehemj.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-450&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Dante Salas-Ávila dsalas@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022177 100319475328460022177 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Fermín Francisco Chaiña-Chura fchaina@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022178 100319475328460022178 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Germán Belizario-Quispe gbelizario@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022179 100319475328460022179 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Edgar Quispe-Mamani edgarquispe@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022180 100319475328460022180 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Edgar Vidal Hurtado-Chávez ehurtado@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022181 100319475328460022181 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Félix Rojas-Chahuares frojas@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022182 100319475328460022182 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Ruth Meza-Duman rmeza@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022183 100319475328460022183 No Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru Dante Salas-Mercado dsalasm@unap.edu.pe 100319475328460022184 100319475328460022184 Yes Correspondence to: Research Institute of Metallurgy, Materials, and Environment, National University of Altiplano of Puno, 21000 Puno, Peru