| dc.contributor.author | Jyoti, Vijaya | |
| dc.description.abstract | Association of element concentrations for soils of northeastern North Dakota
formed from different sources of parent materials were determined based on geochemical
data. These soils overlie the Cretaceous Pierre Formation and parent materials consist of
shale rich glacial till, residual shale, and colluvial materials. Surface and core sampling
locations included a cropped field, Conservation Reserve Program land, and grassland
fields in a North Dakota State Wildlife Management Area. Samples were analyzed for
cadmium and other trace elements using a nitric acid digestion followed by optical
emission spectroscopy. Results of a preliminary study in cropped and CRP fields showed
elevated concentrations of cadmium. Later comprehensive field work in a Wildlife
Management Area was carried out to examine the landscape scale variation for a suite of
elements. Morphologic and laboratory analysis of soil cores indicate high clay content with
mixed clay mineralogy, indicative of the influence of shale residuum on the parent
materials of the escarpment soils. Chemical properties of the escarpment soils revealed
high levels of organic matter (2.62-13.30 %), ultra acidic to slightly alkaline pH range, and
low electrical conductivity for the soils. Average cadmium concentration of 0.28 mg/kg
was reported for the samples from eight cores while 16.4 mg/kg cadmium was found in the
CRP field sample. Correlations of different analytes with cadmium showed significance
with shale and argillic horizons. Principal Component Analysis revealed that elevated trace
element concentrations for the soils in northeastern North Dakota are linked to a variety of factors including organic matter content, clay mineralogy, pH, elevation, and electrical
conductivity. Results of this study suggest that lateral as well as vertical water movement
of water could be an important factor leading to transport and elevated trace metal zones in
these soils. | en_US |
| dc.publisher | North Dakota State University | en_US |
| dc.rights | NDSU policy 190.6.2 | en_US |
| dc.title | Trace Element Distribution in Soils of The Pembina Escarpment, North Dakota | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-01T17:19:45Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-01T17:19:45Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33690 | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Soils -- Trace element content -- North Dakota -- Cavalier County. | en_US |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Soils -- Cadmium content -- North Dakota -- Cavalier County. | en_US |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Cadmium -- Environmental aspects -- North Dakota. | en_US |
| dc.rights.uri | https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf | en_US |
| ndsu.degree | Master of Science (MS) | en_US |
| ndsu.college | Interdisciplinary Studies | en_US |
| ndsu.department | Environmental and Conservation Sciences | en_US |
| ndsu.program | Environmental and Conservation Sciences | en_US |
| ndsu.advisor | Hopkins, David | |
