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Dynamics And Timescales Of Magmatic Processes At Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivia, Sarah Jane Rasor Jan 2023

Dynamics And Timescales Of Magmatic Processes At Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivia, Sarah Jane Rasor

MSU Graduate Theses

Between 12-25°S latitude there is prolific volcanism fueled by the Altiplano-Puna Magmatic Body (APMB), a mid-crustal magma body above the 30° angle subduction of the Nazca plate and within 60-70 km thick South American crust. Cerro Uturuncu, a stratovolcano constructed above the center of the APMB, can provide insight to the evolution of the APMB over time. Previous research suggests that the APMB is more homogenous near its center as opposed to its edges. However, the processes that led to greater homogenization as well as the structure of the magma body below Cerro Uturuncu remain unknown. This research contributes greater …


Magmatic Evolution Of The Chasca Orkho Lava Series And Its Magmatic Enclaves, Volcán Ollagüe, Central Andes, Nathaniel W. Lenhard Jan 2023

Magmatic Evolution Of The Chasca Orkho Lava Series And Its Magmatic Enclaves, Volcán Ollagüe, Central Andes, Nathaniel W. Lenhard

MSU Graduate Theses

Magma mixing is a common factor in the creation of intermediate composition magmas and a potential instigator of a volcanic eruption. Magmatic enclaves, physical evidence of magma mixing within a volcanic system, are a phenomenon whose mechanisms remain unclear and debated. Common hypotheses explaining the occurrence of magmatic enclaves within a host lava range from the repeated injection of a new magma into a shallow reservoir to the disruption of equilibrium within a stratified magma chamber. Within the Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), the occurrence of magmatic enclaves yields similar geochemical compositions to their respective host rocks, bringing more difficulty …


U-Pb Apatite Chronometry Of Intrusions In An Accretionary Metamorphic Belt In Western Idaho, Usa, Colleen Grace Rankin Jan 2022

U-Pb Apatite Chronometry Of Intrusions In An Accretionary Metamorphic Belt In Western Idaho, Usa, Colleen Grace Rankin

MSU Graduate Theses

The Salmon River suture zone in west-central Idaho, USA records the tectonic processes where island arcs, similar to modern-day Japan, were accreted to the North American continent in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (160-90 million years ago). This suture zone contains metamorphic rocks that were buried deep within the crust at depths of 20 kilometers or more and have subsequently been brought to the surface. The exhuming processes responsible for the metamorphic rocks in the Salmon River suture zone remains unclear. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the transport of the rocks from the Salmon River suture zone …


Mining-Contaminated Sediment And Metal Storage In Channel Deposits In Turkey Creek, Tri-State Mining District, Missouri And Kansas, Max Quinn Hillermann Jan 2022

Mining-Contaminated Sediment And Metal Storage In Channel Deposits In Turkey Creek, Tri-State Mining District, Missouri And Kansas, Max Quinn Hillermann

MSU Graduate Theses

The Joplin subdistrict, within the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), was a major producer of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) ore between the 1880s to 1920s. Metalliferous mining wastes are still stored in the channel deposits of local streams raising environmental and health concerns. This study quantifies the volume, sediment size, and metal concentrations in channel bed, bar, bench, and chute deposits to quantify the spatial variability of contaminated sediment storage in Turkey Creek (119 km2). Sample reaches (n=14) contained metal concentrations elevated above the Tri-State Mining District specific probable effects concentration at every site with mean concentrations in …


Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster Magma Evolution And Magma Plumbing System Architecture During The Gordo Stage (6-4 Ma), Kasey Lynn Buckley Jan 2022

Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster Magma Evolution And Magma Plumbing System Architecture During The Gordo Stage (6-4 Ma), Kasey Lynn Buckley

MSU Graduate Theses

Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster (AVC) is an 11 m.y. volcanic system in the central Andes that is evolving over four distinct stages of activity. Stages include the Aloncha (11-8 Ma), Gordo (6-4 Ma), Polán (4-2 Ma), and Aucanquilcha (Ma) stages. The AVC evolved from a series of magmatic underpinnings during the Aloncha Stage to a larger zone of melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization (MASH) by the Polán Stage. The transition from smaller underpinnings to MASH zones began during the Gordo Stage. At ~5-2 Ma the AVC reached thermal maturity before beginning its volcanic death during the Aucanquilcha Stage. This study focuses …


Downstream Dispersal Of Fine Tailings, Chat And Metals In Channel Sediment Of Big River, Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri, Jennifer Pace Witt Jan 2022

Downstream Dispersal Of Fine Tailings, Chat And Metals In Channel Sediment Of Big River, Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri, Jennifer Pace Witt

MSU Graduate Theses

In St. François County, Missouri, compromised above-ground tailings piles and containment ponds from historical mining activities in the Old Lead Belt released considerable amounts of dolomitic, Pb- and Zn-contaminated waste sediments to the Big River, contributing to significant downstream floodplain and channel sediment contamination. Previous studies have documented the effects of heavy metals on Big River biota and water quality, as well as benthic habitat disruption resulting from the influx of small sediments. Few have considered the effects and future contamination risk of the coarse waste sediments (2-16 mm in diameter), locally called “chat”, which retain high Pb and Zn …


Chemical And Thermal Influence On Intermediate Magma Storage Conditions: Volcán Ollagüe, Chile-Bolivia, Central Andes, Drew Allen Laviada-Garmon Jan 2022

Chemical And Thermal Influence On Intermediate Magma Storage Conditions: Volcán Ollagüe, Chile-Bolivia, Central Andes, Drew Allen Laviada-Garmon

MSU Graduate Theses

Continental arc volcanoes are the single best portrayal of the evolution of recycled earth material stemming from subduction, one of the most important and foundational phenomena in global tectonics. Understanding the genesis of intermediate-composition magmas produced at arc volcanoes is a difficult process making them a focal point for investigation. Geochemical investigation of zircon and plagioclase mineral phases erupted from continental arcs can provide insight into magma process, generation, storage conditions, timescales and differentiation of sub-volcanic plumbing systems prior to eruption events. The Central Volcanic Zone is a prime example of continental arc volcanism through subduction, and is host to …


Disequilibrium Melting Of The Continental Crust During Emplacement Of The Mt. Princeton Batholith, Central Colorado Volcanic Field, Loren A. Bohannon Jan 2022

Disequilibrium Melting Of The Continental Crust During Emplacement Of The Mt. Princeton Batholith, Central Colorado Volcanic Field, Loren A. Bohannon

MSU Graduate Theses

Assimilation and crystallization are difficult to constrain at magmatic boundaries, including the interactions of magma with the surrounding country rock. The assumption of the relationship between a magma and what it is intruding upon is relegated to homogenous bodies or epizonal plutons. Realistically, wall rock influences chemical heterogeneity and isotopic variance at the outcrop scale and changes depending on distance from the magma-wall rock interface. Here, we present a case study of the 35 Ma Mt. Princeton Batholith and the host Precambrian rocks of the Central Colorado Volcanic Field. We assess chemical heterogeneity by whole rock and mineral trace element …


Geochemical Investigation Of Monogenetic Volcanoes From The Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska, Clayton L. Reinier Dec 2021

Geochemical Investigation Of Monogenetic Volcanoes From The Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska, Clayton L. Reinier

MSU Graduate Theses

Small-volume basaltic magmas found at continental intraplate environments have not been as extensively studied compared to their polygenetic counterparts. Specifically, regions such as the Bering Sea basalt province, described as a diffuse igneous province, have commonly been overlooked. Assumptions that these systems are invoked by simple, single batches of magma has subsequently left a gap in understanding the processes responsible for primary magma generation away from plate boundaries with little tectonic influence. The following studies that constitute this thesis focus on an in-depth geochemical investigation at the crystal and sub-crystal scale to evaluate lithospheric mantle heterogeneities, processes that govern primary …


Geology Of The Clairmont Springs 7.5-Minute Quadrangle And Geochronology Of The Alabama Blue Ridge, Adelie Ionescu Aug 2021

Geology Of The Clairmont Springs 7.5-Minute Quadrangle And Geochronology Of The Alabama Blue Ridge, Adelie Ionescu

MSU Graduate Theses

The Alabama Blue Ridge (USA) of the southern Appalachians contains metamorphic rocks and structures associated with island arc accretion and continent-continent collision that record the Acadian and Alleghenian orogenies. The western Blue Ridge is underlain by Cambrian to Mississippian, clastic and carbonate, low-grade, greenschist facies metamorphic Talladega belt that formed outboard from the Alabama promontory or along the Laurentian margin. The eastern Blue Ridge contains the Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic, lithologically diverse, high grade, middle to upper amphibolite facies Ashland Supergroup. Geologic mapping of the Clairmont Springs 7.5- minute quadrangle unveils tectonic relationships between the eastern and western Blue Ridge and …


Raman Spectroscopic Investigation Of The Speciation Of Uranyl (Vi) And Thorium (Iv) Ions In Chloride-Bearing Aqueous Solutions Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Nadib Akram Dec 2020

Raman Spectroscopic Investigation Of The Speciation Of Uranyl (Vi) And Thorium (Iv) Ions In Chloride-Bearing Aqueous Solutions Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Nadib Akram

MSU Graduate Theses

Raman spectra were acquired for a uranyl chloride aqueous solution at temperatures ranging from 25°C to 500°C at the chloride concentration of 6M and uranium (vi) concentration of 0.05M. The measurements were taken by sealing the sample in a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) which enabled spectra acquisition at non-ambient conditions. The pressure inside the cell was measured by estimating the liquid-vapor homogenization temperature (TH) and using the isochoric equation of state diagram of water. The acquired spectra were then fitted to determine the speciation distribution of the various uranyl chloride species for the mentioned concentration. The developed …


The Legacy Of Mining In Southwest Missouri: Past And Present Conditions Of The Tri-State Mining District, Anastasia M C Mcclanahan Aug 2020

The Legacy Of Mining In Southwest Missouri: Past And Present Conditions Of The Tri-State Mining District, Anastasia M C Mcclanahan

MSU Graduate Theses

The historic Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma has a history of lead and zinc mining that extended over a hundred years. During the district’s peak production period, the TSMD was one of the world’s largest producers of lead and zinc. The mining activities in the TSMD produced economic growth that supported the local communities and were essential to the victory of the Allied Forces during World War I and World War II. Beginning in the 1920s, the mining activities in the district slowly began to cease due to depletion of metal ores and …


Detrital Zircon Petrochronology For Sedimentary Provenance Analysis: Source To Sink Of The Mississippi/Missouri River Drainage Basin, Sage Denali Muttel Aug 2020

Detrital Zircon Petrochronology For Sedimentary Provenance Analysis: Source To Sink Of The Mississippi/Missouri River Drainage Basin, Sage Denali Muttel

MSU Graduate Theses

Detrital petrochronology can provide a detailed look into sedimentary provenance through integrated mineral radioisotopic ages with corresponding mineral chemistry. By combining U-Pb ages and Th/U values of detrital zircon from 13 samples collected from Quaternary sand deposits in the Upper Missouri, Yellowstone, Bighorn, Platte, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Red and Brazos Rivers, an interpretation of detailed signatures that record evidence of the evolution of the Mississippi/Missouri River drainage and the tectonic events that shaped it were observed. Low Th/U values in zircon correlate temporally to convergent magmatism, whereas, higher and more variable Th/U zircon are coeval with known extensional tectonism. Using …


Geochemistry Of The Lazufre Volcanic Complex: Determining The Geometries And Processes Of The Magmatic Sources In The Central Andean Volcanic Zone, Brooke Erin Benz May 2020

Geochemistry Of The Lazufre Volcanic Complex: Determining The Geometries And Processes Of The Magmatic Sources In The Central Andean Volcanic Zone, Brooke Erin Benz

MSU Graduate Theses

The Central Andes in South America contain many active volcanoes and volcano complexes due to constant subduction producing extrusive rocks varying in composition. The Lazufre Complex, Chile-Argentina border, consists of two Pleistocene volcanic centers, Lastarria and Cordon del Azufre andesite and dacite lava flows and domes. Whole-rock K-Ar dates of lavas from Cordon del Azufre place the most recent eruptions at 0.6-0.3 Ma ±0.3 Ma. Major-element data of plagioclase and pyroxene show homogeneous compositions between the centers, which is consistent with whole rock major- and trace-element compositions. The primary composition of the pyroxenes are augite and diopsides for cpx and …


Pumice Compositions And Mineral Chemistry From Lascar Volcano, Chile, Madelaine M. Stearn May 2020

Pumice Compositions And Mineral Chemistry From Lascar Volcano, Chile, Madelaine M. Stearn

MSU Graduate Theses

Lascar volcano is one the most active volcano in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andean Cordillera, with 36 Holocene eruptions including a VEI 4 eruption in April 1993. Activity has not been consistent throughout time, and therefore, the processes behind it are poorly understood. Lascar volcano has cyclic behavior and has had four stages of activity, each of which had a unique eruptive style and product composition. Stage I (<43 >ka) had primarily mafic andesite lavas erupted effusively from a stratocone. Stage II initiated with dome building events ESE of the original vent and culminated in the 26.45 ka …


Assessing Bioavailability, Metal Fractionation, Magnetic Susceptibility, And Organic Matter Interactivity In Mine-Waste Contaminated Sediments In Turkey Creek, Joplin, Missouri, Zachary Joseph Collette Aug 2019

Assessing Bioavailability, Metal Fractionation, Magnetic Susceptibility, And Organic Matter Interactivity In Mine-Waste Contaminated Sediments In Turkey Creek, Joplin, Missouri, Zachary Joseph Collette

MSU Graduate Theses

Joplin, Missouri, part of the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), has a long history of mining that resulted in mine waste piles proximal to the mines throughout the area. A local lead smelter also resulted in smelter fallout in Joplin. Mine waste pile runoff and local smelter fallout resulted in contamination of sediments, soils, and waterways. In the 1990s, remediation of residential soils and play areas began after blood lead levels in children were much higher than the national average. Soon afterwards, the chat piles were removed and used for beneficial reuse purposes. In May of 2011, an EF5 tornado devastated …


Petrology And Geochemistry Of The Bearwallow Mountain Andesite, Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field, New Mexico, Conor Lee O'Dowd May 2019

Petrology And Geochemistry Of The Bearwallow Mountain Andesite, Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field, New Mexico, Conor Lee O'Dowd

MSU Graduate Theses

The Mogollon-Datil volcanic field (MDVF), located in southern New Mexico, is the result of episodic volcanism and the transition between arc and rift magmatism. The MDVF has been the focus of several mapping, stratigraphic, petrologic, geochronological, and geochemical studies to understand the complete volcanic and tectonic history. However, the majority of previous studies lack geochemical analyses on intermediate composition volcanic rocks, giving more attention to the large-volume ignimbrites and rhyolite flows as well as the minor basalt flows that occurred between 36 and 20 Ma. I present new whole-rock major- and trace-element analyses and petrographic textures on one of the …


An In-Situ Study Of The Aqueous Speciation Of Uranium (Vi) Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Diwash Dhakal May 2019

An In-Situ Study Of The Aqueous Speciation Of Uranium (Vi) Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Diwash Dhakal

MSU Graduate Theses

Rigorous study of the speciation distribution of uranyl-chloride bearing solutions under hydrothermal conditions is important to understand the transport mechanism of uranium underground, which is of uttermost interest to parties studying the geological uranium deposits and those studying the possibilities of geological repositories for spent nuclear waste. I report an in-situ Raman spectroscopic study of the speciation distribution of aqueous uranyl-chloride complexes upto 500°C conducted using a HDAC as the high PT spectroscopic cell. The samples studied contained the species UO22+, UO2Cl+, UO2Cl20 and UO2Cl3- …


Diamond Intracrystalline Stable Isotope Chemical Image Analysis By Time-Of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometery, Tyler J. Sundell Dec 2018

Diamond Intracrystalline Stable Isotope Chemical Image Analysis By Time-Of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometery, Tyler J. Sundell

MSU Graduate Theses

The chemical resistance of diamond allows in-situ study of the diamond source regions. For a majority of gem quality diamonds, this source region is the sublithospheric mantle keel of a cratonic nuclei. Through analysis of stable isotopes, radiogenic isotopes and trace elements, diamond geochemical analyses can define chemical fluxes in the mantle keel. However, such studies require multiple methodologies for each chemical suite, high spatial resolution and analytical precision. Here, I evaluate Time-of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) as an alternative method for diamond geochemical analyses. ToF-SIMS analysis can perform in cation and anion mode to measure the entire periodic …


Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Mining-Related Lead-Zinc Sediment Contamination, Galena River Watershed, Sw Wisconsin-Nw Illinois, Dylan Alexander King Aug 2018

Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Mining-Related Lead-Zinc Sediment Contamination, Galena River Watershed, Sw Wisconsin-Nw Illinois, Dylan Alexander King

MSU Graduate Theses

Alluvial sediments within the Galena River Watershed were severely contaminated with heavy metals by historical zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) mining operations during the early 1800s until 1979. Since the mines closed, there have been efforts to remediate on-site mine waste. However, the effectiveness of these efforts to reduce metal concentrations in stream sediments is unknown. This study compares present-day (2017) contamination trends in the Galena River Watershed to trends reported 25 years ago. A total of 415 sediment/soil samples were collected and analyzed using X-ray florescence spectrometry to determine sediment metal concentrations. The highest concentrations of zinc measured were …


Chemical And Statistical Analysis Of Karst Groundwater Basin Signatures - Springfield, Mo, Benjamin E. Lockwood May 2018

Chemical And Statistical Analysis Of Karst Groundwater Basin Signatures - Springfield, Mo, Benjamin E. Lockwood

MSU Graduate Theses

Springfield, MO is located on the Springfield Plateau physiographic province. The Springfield plateau contains a number of Mississippian aged units and is mainly capped by the Burlington-Keokuk Formation. The Burlington-Keokuk is a highly fossiliferous limestone with nodular and interbedded chert. Beneath the Burlington-Keokuk lies the Elsey, Reeds Spring, and Pierson Formations respectively which comprise the Springfield Plateau aquifer hydrostratigraphic unit. Within the Springfield Plateau aquifer, a well-developed karst system includes springs, sinkholes, and caves. The Springfield Plateau aquifer is the predominant source for springs and seeps in the Springfield area. The purpose of this study was to understand the differences …


Provenance Analysis Of The Grover Gravel Using Detrital Zircon Geochronology, Petrology And Heavy Mineral Analysis, Grant Spoering Dec 2017

Provenance Analysis Of The Grover Gravel Using Detrital Zircon Geochronology, Petrology And Heavy Mineral Analysis, Grant Spoering

MSU Graduate Theses

The Grover Gravel in the St. Louis, Missouri area contains a mix of chert, quartzite, jasper, and ironstone in clast sizes ranging up to 60 cm. The gravel varies in thickness from a veneer to over 30 feet and rests on upland surfaces at elevations sometimes exceeding 300 feet above the floors of major valleys. A pre-Pleistocene age generally has been proposed or assumed for the gravel, which classically has been interpreted to be a meandering-stream deposit atop an extensive flat upland surface, which was subsequently eroded and dissected by rejuvenated streams. However, large quartzite boulders in the gravel also …


Urban Detention Basin Contamination With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) And Metals, Holly Marie Duff Aug 2017

Urban Detention Basin Contamination With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) And Metals, Holly Marie Duff

MSU Graduate Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds that can be toxic to wildlife and humans when released to the environment. Coal-tar sealants, which are applied to parking lots or driveways, contribute up to 1,000 times more PAHs than alternative sealants. Over time, these sealants abrade and are transported into drainage networks. Coal-tar sealants are currently used in Springfield, Missouri, however the extent of PAH contamination throughout urban drainage systems is unclear. This study focused on PAH contamination within an urban detention basin on the Missouri State University campus which receives runoff from several coal-tar sealed parking lots. Sediment samples collected …


Petrography And Geochemistry Of Oligocene Rhyolitic Volcanic Rocks, Western Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field, New Mexico, Emily Elizabeth Salings May 2017

Petrography And Geochemistry Of Oligocene Rhyolitic Volcanic Rocks, Western Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field, New Mexico, Emily Elizabeth Salings

MSU Graduate Theses

The Mogollon-Datil volcanic field (MDVF), located in southern New Mexico, is the remnant of extreme and punctuated volcanism over ~12 m.y. of activity. The Bursum caldera is the youngest of three nested calderas in the Mogollon Mountains in the western MDVF. Here I present data from a high-silica, large volume tuff associated with the Bursum caldera, the Bloodgood Canyon Tuff (BCT). Extensive mapping by previous workers have provided a limited whole rock geochemical dataset and descriptions of the unit, but a detailed study had not been conducted. I present new whole-rock major- and trace-element analyses, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope …


Cyclostratigraphic Trends Of Δ13c In Upper Cambrian Strata, Great Basin, Usa: Implications For Astronomical Forcing, Wesley Donald Weichert May 2017

Cyclostratigraphic Trends Of Δ13c In Upper Cambrian Strata, Great Basin, Usa: Implications For Astronomical Forcing, Wesley Donald Weichert

MSU Graduate Theses

Composite geochemical studies of carbonate isotope values (δ13C) by other investigators have established that the Cambrian period is punctuated by a series of significant, globally correlated, positive and negative δ13C excursions. However, it remains unclear if low-amplitude secular variations in δ13C values exist superimposed on, or between large-scale perturbations in the Cambrian carbon cycle, especially in cyclic successions. Rocks of Steptoean-Sunwaptan (Paibian-Jiangshanian) stage, exposed in the Great Basin of Utah and Nevada, are excellent candidates for testing the hypothesis that sedimentary cycles record minor variations in Earth's orbit (Milankovitch cycles) through application of high-resolution chemostratigraphic analysis. High-resolution δ13C data was …


Geochronology Of Calc-Alkaline Ash Flow Tuff Units In The Ogollon Datil Volcanic Field, Southern New Mexico: U-Pb In Zircon, Shannon Porter Rentz May 2017

Geochronology Of Calc-Alkaline Ash Flow Tuff Units In The Ogollon Datil Volcanic Field, Southern New Mexico: U-Pb In Zircon, Shannon Porter Rentz

MSU Graduate Theses

Caldera systems are capable of outputting voluminous quantities of volcaniclastic material with wide ranging negative environmental impacts. Determining the behaviors of previously erupted caldera systems may help inform predictive models used to evaluate hazards and assess risks for analogous currently active volcanic systems. The Mogollon-Datil volcanic field (MDVF) is a 40-24 Ma cluster of caldera activity in southern New Mexico tied to the subduction, and possible delamination, of the Farallon plate beneath the North American plate. A regional ignimbrite flare up from 36-24 Ma produced at least 28 caldera-forming eruptions. The calc-alkaline magmatism of three calderas in this field (the …


A Trace Metal Content Database Of Cave Sediments Of Midcontinent U.S.A., Matthew Dale Smith Jan 2016

A Trace Metal Content Database Of Cave Sediments Of Midcontinent U.S.A., Matthew Dale Smith

MSU Graduate Theses

The midcontinent of the United States has thousands of documented caves. These caves contain cave sediments, which are the accumulation of biological, geological, and anthropological debris. At this time there is no known database for trace metals of cave sediments of the midcontinent United States. Considering that caves host a wide variety of life, it is important to create a database to examine potential effects of trace metals on cave systems. In order to develop this baseline, 14 caves were sampled from across the midcontinent. Caves were selected based on geologic and hydrologic attributes. The sediments were analyzed for the …