Skip to main content

Advertisement

Springer Nature Link
Log in

Characterizing the geogenic background of the Midwest: a detailed mineralogical and geochemical investigation of a glacial till in southwestern Ohio

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The state of Ohio has a long history of industrial pollution over numerous decades. Scientific investigations of the sources and impacts of this pollution are becoming increasingly common, particularly in the southwest region of the state, with a strong focus of recent studies being carried out within the context of air, urban soil and sediment quality, and aquatic environments. A key supporting issue in these, and future pollution investigations, is understanding the contribution from, and background concentrations of, natural geogenic materials. A glacial till sampled from Peffer Park, a publicly accessible site in Butler County southwest Ohio, was studied in detail to characterize its mineralogical and geochemical properties. The till sampled, a result of Wisconsin-aged glaciation, represents the regionally extensive glacial drift across the region and is the ideal candidate for targeting in efforts to quantify the background, geogenic environment. Samples were characterized for their elemental abundances using ICP-OES and ICP-MS, while mineralogy was investigated using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray computed tomography, and reflective spectroscopy. Chemically, the till sampled is akin to the Earth’s bulk continental crust with characteristic light REE (LREE) enrichment and depleted middle/heavy REE signatures. Of the 39 minor and trace elements analyzed, 74% (n = 29) vary by less than 10 ppm between the 20 sites sampled, and of the ten major element oxides, there is a < 3 wt. % variation with a < 1 wt. % variation observed for seven of the major element oxides. All standard deviations (reported at 2σ) are < 1. Major minerals detected by powder XRD include illite, chlorite (ripidolite), quartz, calcite, dolomite and feldspar minerals with lesser amounts of amphibole, consistent with inferences from bulk chemistry. X-ray computed tomography on a selected sample highlights five orders of magnitude variation with respect to particle size, which is demonstrably skewed toward fine particle size. Accompanying reflective spectral features are dominated by signatures from the high clay mineral (e.g., illite) and carbonate contents, consistent with inferred source materials from the regionally extensive Ordovician stratigraphy associated with the Cincinnati Arch and the ancient crystalline continental basement of Canada. Through a wide variety of analytical techniques, it is demonstrated that the Peffer Park till of southwest Ohio has a remarkably low variation in composition and is highly representative of the geogenic background of this region of the USA. Its characteristics reported here therefore justify its use and application as a broad environmental reference material for the Midwest.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+
from $39.99 /Month
  • Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
  • Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
  • Cancel anytime
View plans

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, books and news in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  • Adhikari A, Reponen T, Grinshpun SA, Martuzevicius D, LeMasters G (2006) Correlation of ambient inhalable bioaerosols with particulate matter and ozone: a two year study. Environ Pollut 140:16–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachmann CM, Eon RS, Lapszynski CS, Badura GP, Vodacek A, Hoffman MJ, McKeown D, Kremens RL, Richardson M, Bauch T, Foote M (2019) A low-rate video approach to hyperspectral imaging of dynamic scenes. J Imaging 5(1):6

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker DB (1990) Groundwater quality assessment through cooperative private well testing: An Ohio example. J Soil Water Conserv 45(2):230–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin A, Bretz R, Krekeler MPS (2014) Preliminary study of metal and anion pollution in pond waters from butler County, Ohio. Program of the southeastern section meeting of the Geological Society of America, 7–5

  • Barff R (1987) Industrial clustering and the organization of production: a point pattern analysis of manufacturing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 77:89–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassarab DR, Huff WD (1969) Clay mineralogy of Kope and Fairview Formations (Cincinnatian) in the Cincinnati area. J Sediment Petrol 39:1014–1022

    Google Scholar 

  • Blount, J. (2014). After 164 years, papermaking ended in Hamilton. Jouranal News. https://www.journal-news.com/news/after-164-years-papermaking-ended-hamilton/AA2PSr1dxFijEhNMYhODhJ/

  • Booth JS, Osborne RH (1971) American Upper Ordovician standard 15. Clay Mineralogy of insoluble residues from Cincinnatian Limestones, Hamilton County, Ohio. J Sediment Petrol 41:840–847

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley LJN, Lemieux KB, Garcia MC, Parsons AH, Rabbe DE (1998) Comparison of concentrations of selected metals and organics in fish tissue and sediment in the grand river, Ohio, and the southern Lake Erie drainage basin. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 4:57–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Brockman CS, Szabo JP (2000) Fractures and their distribution in the tills of Ohio. Ohio J Sci 100:39–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown M (1985) Housing in the Cincinnati Hills + Architecture and landslide problems. Progress Archit 66:32

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter MR, Gaudet BJ, Stauffer DR, White TS, Brantley SL (2015) Using soil records with atmospheric dispersion modeling to investigate the effects of clean air regulations on 60 years of manganese deposition in Marietta, Ohio, USA. Sci Total Environ 515–516:49–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro S, Krekeler MPS, Knoll L (2013) Metal pollution in lake sediment in southwest Ohio. Abstracts and Program of the Annual Meetings of the Geological Society of America, pp 82–86

  • Chabrillat S, Ben-Dor E, Cierniewski J, Gomez C, Schmid T, van Wesemael B (2019) Imaging spectroscopy for soil mapping and monitoring. Surv Geophys 40(3):361–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen HY, Teng YG, Lu SJ, Wang YY, Wang JS (2015) Contamination feature and health risk of soil heavy metals in China. Sci Total Environ 512:143–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciarkowska K, Gambus F, Antonkiewicz J, Koliopoulos T (2019) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and heavy metal contents in the urban soils in southern Poland. Chemosphere 229:214–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Clements AL, Fraser MP, Upadhyay N, Herckes P, Sundblom M, Lantz J, Solomon PA (2014) Chemical characterization of coarse particulate matter in the Desert Southwest—Pinal County Arizona, USA. Atmos Pollut Res 5:52–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole KL, Engstrom DR, Futyma RP, Stottlemyer R (1990) Past atmospheric deposition of metals in northern Indiana measured in a peat core from Cowles Bog. Environ Sci Technol 24:543–549

    Google Scholar 

  • Constantinides K, Sank JK (1994) Matching accounting to strategy: one mill’s experience. Manag Account (USA) 76(3):32–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Conte E, Widom E, Kuentz D (2015) Characterization and transport modeling of uranium particle from Fernald area tree bark. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307:1675–1679

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowell DL (1995) History of the coal-mining industry in Ohio. Ohio Division of Geological Survey, Columbus

    Google Scholar 

  • Currie BS, Free JC, Brudzinski MR, Leveridge MC, Skoumal RJ (2018a) Seismicity induced by wastewater injection in Washington County, Ohio: influence of pre-existing structure, regional stress regime, and well operations. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 123:4123–4140

    Google Scholar 

  • Currie B, Thoresen H, Palko E, Stubbins B, Ries R, Adedugbe E, Levy J, Blake D, Nash TA (2018b) Revised bedrock topographic map for the Oxford and College Corner Quadrangles, Butler and Preble Counties, Ohio. Abstracts and Program of the 2018 Geological Society of America Meeting, Paper 105

  • Curtis JB (2002) Fractured shale–gas systems. Am Assoc Petrol Geol 86(11):1921–1938

    Google Scholar 

  • Dattilo BF, Brett CE, Schramm TJ (2012) Tempestites in a tea pot? Condensation-generated shell beds in the upper Ordovician, Cincinnati Arch, USA. Paleogeogr Paleoclimatol Paleoecol 367:44–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Dattilo BF, Brett CE, Tsujita CJ, Fairhurst R (2008) Sediment supply versus storm winnowing in the development of muddy and shelly interbeds from the Upper Ordovician of the Cincinnati region, USA. Canad J Earth Sci 45:243–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietrich M, Huling J, Krekeler MPS (2018) Metal pollution investigation of Goldman Park, Middletown Ohio: evidence for steel and coal pollution in a high child use setting. Sci Total Environ 618:1350–1362

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietrich M, Wolfe A, Burke M, Krekeler MPS (2019) The first pollution investigation of road sediment in Gary, Indiana: anthropogenic metals and possible health implications for a socioeconomically disadvantaged area. Environ Int 128:175–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekberg MP, Lowell TV, Stuckenrath R (1993) Late Wisconsinan glacial advance and retreat patterns in southwestern Ohio, USA. Boreas 22:189–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Esser KB, Helmke PA, Bockheim JG (1991) Trace element contamination of soils in the Indiana Dunes. J Environ Q 20:492–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans JE, Gottgens JF (2007) Contaminant stratigraphy of the Ballville reservoir, Sandusky River, NW Ohio: implications for dam removal. J Great Lakes Res 33:182–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Eyles N, Meriano M (2009) Road-impacted sediment and water in Lake Ontario watershed and lagoon, City of Pickering, Ontario, Canada: an example of urban basin analysis. Sediment Geol 224:15–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Fausey NR, Hall G, Bigham JM, AllRed BJ, Christy AD (2000) Properties of the fractured glacial till at the Madison County, Ohio, field workshop pit site. Ohio J Sci 100:107–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernald Environmental Management Project (1998a) Introduction to Fernald: Fernald Environmental Management Project (Fernald, Ohio). FEMP 20900-RP-0001

  • Fernald Environmental Management Project (1998b) Historical Documentation of Facilities and Structures at Fernald Site. FEMP 20900-RP-0002.

  • Flett L, Krekeler MPS, Burke M (2016) Investigations of road sediment in an industrial corridor near low income housing in Hamilton. Ohio Environ Earth Sci 75:1156

    Google Scholar 

  • Gander N, Krekeler MPS, Gladish D (2016) Bulk Metal pollution investigations of a restored prairie from the Miami University Hamilton campus, Hamilton, Ohio. Abstracts and Program of the North Central Section of the Geological Society of America Meeting. Paper 8–8

  • Gbolo P, Lopez DL (2015) Analysis of trace elements pollution within streambed sediments from the Shade River Watershed, southeastern Ohio. Environ Earth Sci 73:7193–7204

    Google Scholar 

  • Haefner RJ (2000) Characterization Methods for fractured Glacial Tills. Ohio J Sci 100:73–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Haneberg WC (1991) Observation and analysis of pore pressure fluctuations in a thin colluvium landslide complex near Cincinnati, Ohio. Eng Geol 31:159–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Haneberg WC (2000) Deterministic and probabilistic approaches to geologic hazard assessment. Environ Eng Geosci 6:209–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Haynes EN, Chen AM, Ryan P, Succop P, Wright J, Dietrich KN (2011) Exposure to airborne metals and particulate matter and risk for youth adjudicated for criminal activity. Environ Res 111:1243–1248

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland SM (1993) Sequence stratigraphy of a carbonate–clastic ramp: the Cincinnatian Series (Upper Ordovician) in its type area. Geol Soc Am Bull 105:306–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt G (1977) Spectral signatures of particulate minerals in the visible and near infrared. Geophysics 42:501–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt GR, Salisbury JW, Lenhoff CJ (1971a) Visible and near-infrared spectra of minerals and rocks: III. Oxides and hydroxides. Modern Geol 2:195–205

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt GR, Salisbury JW, Lenhoff CJ (1971b) Visible and near-infrared spectra of minerals and rocks: IV. Sulphides and sulphates. Modern Geol 3:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt GR, Salisbury JW, Lenhoff CJ (1973) Visible and near-infrared spectra of minerals and rocks: VI. Additional silicates. Modern Geol 4:85–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll CG, MacDonald DD, Brumbaugh WG, Johnson BT, Kemble NE, Kunz JL, May TW, Wang N, Smith JR, Sparks DW, Ireland DS (2002) Toxicity assessment of sediments from the grand calumet river and Indiana Harbor Canal in Northwestern Indiana, USA. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 43:156–167

    Google Scholar 

  • Jabbar FK, Grote K (2019) Statistical assessment of nonpoint source pollution in agricultural watersheds in the Lower Grand River watershed, MO, USA. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26:1487–1506

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssens A (1977) Silurian Rocks in the subsurface of northwestern Ohio. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Report of Investigations No 100

  • Jarup L (2003) Hazards of heavy metal contamination. Br Med Bull 68:167–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennette DC, Pryor WA (1993) Cyclic alternation of proximal and distal storm facies—Kope and Fairview Formations (Upper Ordovician), Ohio and Kenutcky. J Sediment Petrol 63:183–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones KB, Ruppert LF (2017) Leaching of trace elements from Pittsburgh coal mill rejects compared with coal combustion products from a coal-fired power plant in Ohio, UA. Int J Coal Geol 171:130–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Kampa M, Castanas E (2008) Human health effects of air pollution. Environ Pollut 151:362–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Keskinen R, Nyambura M, Heikkinen J, Sila A, Eurola M, Towett E, Sheperd K, Esala M (2019) Readily available concentrations of selected micronutrients and harmful metals in soils of Sub-Saharan Africa. Geoderma 347:203–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Klassen RA (1998) Geological factors affecting the distribution of trace metals in glacial sediments of central Newfoundland. Environ Geol 33:154–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozłowska MA, Friberg P, Brudzinski MR, Skoumal RJ, Baxter ND, Currie BS (2018) Maturity of nearby faults influences seismic hazard from hydraulic fracturing. Proc Natl Acad Sci 115:E1720–E1729

    Google Scholar 

  • Laden F, Neas LM, Dockeray DW, Schwartz J (2000) Association of fine particulate matter from different sources with daily mortality in six US cities. Environ Health Perspect 108:941–947

    Google Scholar 

  • Latimer JC, Van Halen D, Speer J, Krull S, Weaver P, Pettit J, Foxx H (2016) Soil lead testing at a high spatial resolution in an urban community garden: a case study in Relic Lead in Terre Haute, Indiana. J Environ Health 79:28–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazar R, Spahr R, Grudzinski BP, Fisher TJ (2019) Land cover impacts on storm flow suspended solid and nutrient concentrations in southwest Ohio streams. Water Environ Res 91(16):510–522

    Google Scholar 

  • LeGalley E, Krekeler MPS (2013) A mineralogical and geochemical investigation of street sediment near a coal-fired power plant in Hamilton, Ohio: an example of complex pollution and cause for community health concerns. Environ Poll 176:26–35

    Google Scholar 

  • LeGalley E, Widom E, Krekeler MPS, Kuentz DC (2013) Chemical and lead isotope constraints on sources of metal pollution in street sediment and lichens in southwest Ohio. Appl Geochem 32:195–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Li ZY, Ma ZW, van der Kuijp TJ, Yuan ZW, Huang L (2014) A review of soil heavy metal pollution from mine in China: Pollution and health risks assessment. Sci Total Environ 468:843–853

    Google Scholar 

  • Lim SS et al (2012) A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 380:2224–2260

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez DL, Gierlowski-Kordesch E, Hollenkamp C (2010) Geochemical mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in a lake affected by acid mine drainage: Lake Hope, Vinton County, Ohio. Water Air Soil Pollut 213:27–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Loukola-Ruskeeniemi K, Gustavsson N, Tenhola M (2010) Evaluation of geochemical background levels in the Talvivaara Ni-Cu-Zn deposit, Finland. Smart Sci Explor Min 1&2:768–770

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyons WB, Fitzgibbon TO, Welch KA, Carey AE (2006) Mercury geochemistry of the Scioto River, Ohio: impact of agriculture and urbanization. Appl Geochem 21:1880–1888

    Google Scholar 

  • Manta DS, Angelone M, Bellanca A, Neri R, Sprovieri M (2002) Heavy metals in urban soils: a case study from the city of Palermo (Sicily), Italy. Sci Total Environ 300:229–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Martuzevicius D, Grinshpun SA, Reponen T, Górny R, Shukla R, Lockey J, Hu S, McDonald R, Biswas P, Kliucininkas L, LeMasters G (2004) Spatial and temporal variations of PM2.5 concentration and composition through an urban area with high freeway density—the Greater Cincinnati study. Atmos Environ 38:1091–1105

    Google Scholar 

  • Matisoff G, Eaker JP (1992) Summary of sediment chemistry research at Old Woman Creek, Ohio. J Great Lakes Res 18:603–621

    Google Scholar 

  • McArthur JM, Nath B, Banerjee DM, Purohit R, Grassineau N (2011) Palaeosol control on groundwater flow and pollutant distribution: the example of arsenic. Environ Sci Technol 45:1376–1383

    Google Scholar 

  • McClenaghan MB (2005) Indicator mineral methods in mineral exploration. Geochem-Explor Environ Anal 5:233–245

    Google Scholar 

  • McClenahen JR, Dochinger LS (1985) Tree-ring response of white oak to climate and air-pollution near the Ohio river Valley. J Environ Q 14:274–280

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonough WF, Sun S-S (1995) The composition of the Earth. Chem Geol 120:223–253

    Google Scholar 

  • McHugh KC, Widom E, Spitz HB, Glover SE (2015) Analysis of a sugar maple tree core for monitoring environmental uranium contamination. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307:1691–1696

    Google Scholar 

  • Metcalfe CD, Nagabhatla N, Fitzgerald SK (2017) Multifunctional Wetlands: pollution abatement by natural and constructed wetlands. In: Nagabhatla N, Metcalfe CD (eds) Multifunctional wetlands. Environmental contamination remediation and management. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Michaud G (2018) Shale industry’s economic contribution in Ohio, USA: implications for future activity in the state. Reg Sci Inquiry 10(2):163–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Mico C, Recatala L, Peris A, Sanchez J (2006) Assessing heavy metal sources in agricultural soils of an European Mediterranean area by multivariate analysis. Chemosphere 65:863–872

    Google Scholar 

  • Middleton M, Närhi P, Kuosmanen V, Sutinen R (2011) Quantification of glacial till chemical composition by reflectance spectroscopy. Appl Geochem 26:2215–2225

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller WP, McFee WW (1983) Distribution of cadmium, zinc, copper, and lead in soils of industrial northwestern Indiana. J Environ Q 12:29–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Sansalone JJ, Singh VP (2004) Partitioning analog for metal elements in urban rainfall–runoff Overland flow using the soil conservation service curve number concept. J Environ Eng 130:145–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore DM, Reynolds RC (1997) X-ray diffraction and the Identification and analysis of Clay minerals. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura N (1974) Determination of REE, Ba, Fe, Mg, Na and K in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 38(5):757–775

    Google Scholar 

  • Napier TL, Brown DE (1993) Factors affecting attitudes toward groundwater pollution among Ohio farmers. J Soil Water Conserv 48(5):432–439

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson FA, Smith SR, Alloway BJ, Carlton-Smith C, Chambers BJ (2003) An inventory of heavy metals inputs to agricultural soils in England and Wales. Sci Total Environ 311:205–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohio Department of Natural resources. Glacial Map of Ohio.

  • Osborne T, Dietrich M, Huling J, McIntosh K, Edwards R, Combs J, Binyam D, Krekeler MPS (2016) Urban pollution investigations of Goldman park, Middletown Ohio: Bulk Chemistry Reveals unexpected Heterogeneity in Metal Pollution. Abstracts and Program of the North Central Section of the Geological Society of America Meeting, pp 8–4

  • Oyetibo GO, Miyauchi K, Huang Y, Ikeda-Ohtsubo W, Chien MF, Ilori MO, Amund OO, Endo G (2019) Comparative geochemical evaluation of toxic metals pollution and bacterial communities of industrial effluent tributary and a receiving estuary in Nigeria. Chemosphere 227:638–646

    Google Scholar 

  • Pabón REC, de Souza Filho CR, de Oliveira WJ (2019) Reflectance and imaging spectroscopy applied to detection of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution in are soil. Sci Total Environ 649:1224–1236

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker GR, McFee WW, Kelly JM (1978) Metal distribution in forested ecosystems in urban and rural northwestern Indiana. J Environ Q 7:337–342

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins SM, Filippelli GM, Souch CJ (2000) Airborne trace metal contamination of wetland sediments at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Water Air Soil Pollut 122(1–2):231–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettyjohn WA (1971) Water pollution by oil-field brines and related industrial waste in Ohio. Ohio J Sci 71(5):257

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips DH, Sinnathamby G, Russell MI, Anderson C, Paksy A (2010) Mineralogy of selected geological deposits from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland as possible capping material for low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. Appl Clay Sci 53:395–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Rabinowitz MB (2005) Lead isotopes in soils near five historic American lead smelters and refineries. Sci Total Environ 346:138–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Rech J, Grudzinski BP, Renwick WH, Tenison CN, Jojola M, Vanni MJ, Workman TR (2018) Legacy deposits, milldams, water quality, and environmental changes in the Four Mile Creek watershed, southwest Ohio. In: Florea IJ (ed) Ancient oceans, orogenic uplifts, and glacial ice: geologic cross-roads in America’s Heartland: Geological Society of America Field Guide. Indiana Geological and Water Survey Indiana University, Bloomington, pp 113–14451

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards H, Krekeler MPS (2016) Bulk chemical Investigations of parking lot sediment from Miami University Hamilton reveals heterogeneity and concern for storm water management. Abstracts and Program of the North Central Section of the Geological Society of America Meeting, pp 8–9

  • Rudnick RL, Gao S (2003) Composition of the continental crust. Treatise Geochem 3:659

    Google Scholar 

  • Salonen V, Korkka-Niemi K (2007) Influence of parent sediments on the concentration of heavy metals in urban and suburban soils in Turku, Finland. Appl Geochem 22:906–918

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarapaa O, Sarala P (2013) Rare earth element and gold exploration in glaciated terrain: example from the Makara area, northern Finland. Geochem-Explor Environ Anal 13:131–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz J, Dockery DW (1992) Particulate air pollution and daily mortality in Steubenville. Ohio Am J Epidemiol 135(1):12–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma K, Cheng Z, Grewal PS (2015a) Relationship between soil heavy metal contamination and soil food web health in vacant lots slated for urban agriculture in two post industrial cities. Urban Ecosyst 18:835–855

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma K, Basta NT, Grewal PS (2015b) Soil heavy metal contamination in residential neighborhoods in post-industrial cities and its potential human exposure risk. Urban Ecosyst 18:115–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Skoumal RJ, Brudzinski MR, Currie BS (2018) Proximity of Precambrian basement affects the likelihood of induced seismicity in the Appalachian, Illinois, and Williston Basins. Geosphere 14(3):1365–1379

    Google Scholar 

  • Souch CJ, Filippelli GM, Dollar N, Perkins S, Mastalerz M (2002) Accumulation rates of airborne heavy metals in wetlands. Phys Geogr 23:21–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundstrom WA (1990) Was there a golden age of flexible wages? Evidence from Ohio manufacturing, 1892–1910. J Econ Hist 590(2):39–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Szabo JP (2003) Textural and mineralogical characteristics of tills of northeastern and north-central Ohio. Ohio J Sci 106:9–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Szabo JP, Totten SM (1992) Glacial dispersal rejuvenation on the Allegheny Plateau, North-Central Ohio based on till Carbonate patterns. J Sediment Petrol 62:1044–1053

    Google Scholar 

  • Szabo JP, Totten SM (1995) Multiple pre-Wisconsinan glaciations along the northwestern edge of the Allegheny Plateau in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Canad J Earth Sci 32:2081–2089

    Google Scholar 

  • Tong STY (1998) Indoor and outdoor household dust contamination in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Environ Geochem Health 20:123–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Tortorello R, Widom E, Renwick WH (2013) Use of uranium isotopes as a temporal and spatial tracer of nuclear contamination in the environment. J Environ Radioact 124:287–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Tully J (2013) An electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy investigation of Great Miami River sediment pollution in the industrialized landscape of Hamilton, Ohio. [M.S. thesis, Miami University] 104 p

  • Turer D, Maynard JB, Sansalone JJ (2001) Heavy metal contamination in soils of urban highways: Comparison between runoff and soil concentrations at Cincinnati, Ohio. Water Air Soil Pollut 132:293–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Geffen PWG, Kyser TK, Oates CJ, Ihlenfeld C (2012) Till and vegetation geochemistry at the Talbot VMS Cu-Zn prospect, Manitoba, Canada: implications for mineral exploration. Geochem-Explor Environ Anal 12:67–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Vedantham R, Landis MS, Olson D, Pancras JP (2014) Source identification of Pm2.5 in Steubenville, Ohio using a hybrid method for highly time resolved data. Environ Sci Technol 48:1718–1726

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrieling A (2006) Satellite remote sensing for water erosion assessment: a review. CATENA 65:2–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldecker HS, Krekeler MPS (2012) Heavy metal analysis and geochemistry of sediment on the Great Miami River in Hamilton. Ohio. Program of the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Charlotte NC, pp 2–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Weatherington-Rice J, Christy AD, Forsyth JL (2000) Ohio’s Fractured environment: introduction to the Ohio Journal of Science’s Special issue on Fractures in Ohio’s glacial tills. Ohio J Sci 100:36–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei BG, Yang LS (2010) A review of heavy metal contaminations in urban soils, urban road dusts and agricultural soils form China. Microchem J 94:99–107

    Google Scholar 

  • White K, Detherage T, Verellen M, Tully J, Krekeler MPS (2014) An investigation of lead chromate (crocite-PbCrO4) and other inorganic pigments in aged traffic paint samples from Hamilton, Ohio: implications for lead in the environment. Environ Earth Sci 71:3517–3528

    Google Scholar 

  • Winland RL, Train SJ, Bigham JM (1991) Chemical composition of ochreous precipitates from Ohio coal mine drainage. J Environ Q 20(2):452–460

    Google Scholar 

  • Wojas B, Almquist C (2007) Mass concentrations and metals speciation of PM2.5, PM10, and total suspended solids in Oxford, Ohio and comparisons with those from metropolitan sites in the Greater Cincinnati region. Atmos Environ 41:9064–9078

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright IA, McCarthy B, Belmer N, Price P (2015) Subsidence from an underground coal mine and mine wastewater discharge causing water pollution and degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Water Air Soil Pollut 226(1):348

    Google Scholar 

  • Youger JD, Mitsch WJ (1989) Heavy metal concentrations in Ohio River sediments—longitudinal and temporal patterns. Ohio J Sci 89(5):172–175

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. John Morton for assistance with ICP-OES and ICP-MS data collection. We thank Matt Duley, Dr. Richard Edelmann and Joshua Silverstein for assistance with TEM. Miami University’s Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Sciences and the Deans Office of Miami University Regional Campuses provided student support for this project. This work was partially supported by an NIJ Forensic Science R&D award 2015-DN-BX-K011 to Dr. Krekeler.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Matthew Barnes, Claire L. McLeod, Caleb Chappell, Olivia Faraci & Mark P. S. Krekeler

  2. Department of Math and Physical Science, Miami University Hamilton, Hamilton, OH, 45011, USA

    Matthew Barnes, Caleb Chappell, Olivia Faraci & Mark P. S. Krekeler

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA

    Brandt Gibson

Authors
  1. Matthew Barnes
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Claire L. McLeod
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Caleb Chappell
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Olivia Faraci
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Brandt Gibson
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mark P. S. Krekeler
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark P. S. Krekeler.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Barnes, M., McLeod, C.L., Chappell, C. et al. Characterizing the geogenic background of the Midwest: a detailed mineralogical and geochemical investigation of a glacial till in southwestern Ohio. Environ Earth Sci 79, 159 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-8890-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-8890-z

Keywords

Profiles

  1. Brandt Gibson View author profile