Abstract To draw the balance of anthropogenic ¹²⁹I input into European soils, the concentrations of ¹²⁹I and ¹²⁷I in seven soils from Lower Saxony were analyzed down to a depth of 250 cm. In comparison with pre-nuclear soils and Ukrainian soils, we detected a significant anthropogenic input of ¹²⁹I. Considering the different time periods for the input of ¹²⁹I and ¹²⁷I it was possible to assess the dynamics of sorption processes which dominate migration and accumulation. Anthropogenic ¹²⁹I was successfully used as a tracer for a clarification of the migration processes of trace elements in soils.