Peatland cores provide us with the potential to research aspects of atmospheric cycling of elements, such as metal pollutants, on timescales. Our study provides a better understanding of basic peat properties and their effects on trace and major element distributions in peat and its humic substances (HS). Humic substances isolated from an ombrotrophic bog peat profiles (Latvia) were used as study objects. Relations among peat depth, properties of peat and its HS (elemental composition), as well as element content, were studied.