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Geochemistry

University of San Diego

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Understanding The Connection Between Gypsum Blooms And Human Health At The Salton Sea, Isabel Ichiyama May 2023

Understanding The Connection Between Gypsum Blooms And Human Health At The Salton Sea, Isabel Ichiyama

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Salton Sea is a closed hypersaline lake in Southern California that has been receiving little input over the past few decades, leading to desiccation that is rapidly increasing every year. This large-scale evaporation of the sea has led to increased dissolved solutes, high salinity, and gypsum blooms. Gypsum blooms, the precipitation of gypsum (CaSO42H2O) in the sea, have been a prominent facet of the sea and their distribution is well known. However, much of their chemistry and potential health hazards are still undetermined. Potential health effects from gypsum salt, an atmospheric dust particle present at the sea, have known …


Geochemical Investigation Of Anomalous Arsenic Enrichment In The Santiago Peak Volcanics Of Southern California, Elizabeth C. Johnston Jan 2016

Geochemical Investigation Of Anomalous Arsenic Enrichment In The Santiago Peak Volcanics Of Southern California, Elizabeth C. Johnston

Theses

Arsenic (As) is enriched in the Santiago Peak Volcanics (SPV) that crop out at Black Mountain Open Space Park in San Diego, CA. Thus, the Black Mountain SPV present an excellent opportunity to investigate As enrichment in ancient volcanic arc systems as a result of deep earth subduction zone processes. Through targeted field study of this unit, we aim to (1) confirm the volcanic arc provenance of rocks cropping out at Black Mountain, (2) investigate As enrichment in relation to volcanic arc processes, and (3) propose a model for As occurrence in the SPV. Our findings indicate Black Mountain SPV …