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Sedimentology

MSU Graduate Theses

Wilson Creek

Publication Year

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Mercury Contamination Of Channel And Floodplain Sediments In Wilson Creek Watershed, Southwest Missouri, Willard E. Rodgers Ii Jan 2005

Mercury Contamination Of Channel And Floodplain Sediments In Wilson Creek Watershed, Southwest Missouri, Willard E. Rodgers Ii

MSU Graduate Theses

Mercury (Hg) is a pollutant affecting aquatic environments and human health world wide. Sediments in urban streams can store Hg from historical industrial waste releases in channel and floodplain deposits. Subsequent erosion of these deposits can remobilize sediment-bound Hg impacting downstream receiving waters. This study describes the distribution of Hg in floodplain and channel sediments of Wilson Creek and its tributaries using geochemical sediment analysis and cesium-137 dating. The upper Wilson Creek watershed drains the southern two-thirds of Springfield, Missouri. Results indicate that Hg concentrations in overbank and active channel sediments along the entire stream length are elevated above the …


Temporal Analysis Of Floodplain Deposition Using Urban Pollution Stratigraphy, Wilson Creek, Sw Missouri, Kathy A. Shade Jan 2003

Temporal Analysis Of Floodplain Deposition Using Urban Pollution Stratigraphy, Wilson Creek, Sw Missouri, Kathy A. Shade

MSU Graduate Theses

Alluvial sediments record both hydrologic changes and variations of sediment quality affecting watersheds. This study uses urban pollution signatures as temporal tracers to date alluvial deposits along Wilson Creek located within Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Park in southwestern Missouri. The creek drains Springfield, the third largest city in the state, which was settled in 1833. This study has three main objectives: (1) review historical documents to develop a pollution history for the watershed; (2) determine if there is a correlation between heavy metal and phosphorus concentrations in sediment cores and the timing of release of those elements into the creek …