Magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal contents of the soils in typical industrial (Songnan Town) and agricultural (Luojing Town) areas in Baoshan District,Shanghai,were analyzed.The results show that the average value of magnetic susceptibility (χ_lf) of the industrial soils is 271×10^-8m³/kg,with the highest reaching 1660×10^-8m³/kg, and the average value of χ_fd being less than 2%.The average value of χ_lf of the agricultural soils is 32.5×10^-8m³/kg, varying in the range of (15~58.6)×10^-8m³/kg.The extreme enhancement of χ_lf in the industrial soils is mainly attributed to the accumulation of ferrimagnetic particles emitted from industrial activities and automobiles.The χ_lf values in the industrial soils are significantly correlated with contents of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd,Cr,Mn and Fe,which implies that the magnetic technique can be used for monitoring industrial/urban soil pollution.The χ_lf values in the agricultural soils are close to the background value,showing no significant correlation with contents of heavy metals.