47 Sharing Geology: Building the Geocommunity Through Creative Engagement (Posters)

Explore how geology connects with communities beyond research. Share strategies for public engagement, volunteerism, education, and advocacy. We welcome diverse approaches, including research, teaching, service, creativity, and communication that bridge science and society.

Tuesday, 24 March 2026
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
CCC, Ballroom C

Mobility of Legacy Metals in Floodplain Soils: Incorporating Community-Based Science to Evaluate Intervention Strategies to Reduce Residential Exposure in the Tar Creek Watershed, OK

Paper number: 47-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Authors

  • Gabriela Montes Presenting Author
    Wellesley College Geosciences Department, Wellesley, MA
  • Joanne Kim
    Wellesley College Chemistry Department, Wellesley, MA
  • Roxane Ducos
    Wellesley College Geosciences Department, Wellesley, MA
  • Megan Ries
    Wellesley College Medieval & Renaissance Studies Department, Wellesley, MA
  • Ainsley Crist
    Wellesley College Geosciences Department, Wellesley, MA
  • Martin Lively
    Local Environmental Action Demanded Agency, Miami, OK
  • Rebecca Jim
    Local Environmental Action Demanded Agency, Miami, OK
  • Daniel Brabander
    Wellesley College Geosciences Department, Wellesley, MA

Abstract

The floodplains along Tar Creek, City of Miami, OK have experienced decades of heavy metal (particularly Pb, Zn, Cd, and Mn) transport and deposition from the upstream Tar Creek Superfund site. Above ground mine waste piles (“chat”) and underground mine workings that form acid mine drainage (AMD) contribute to these metal loadings to Tar Creek and adjacent floodplains. Flooding events have enhanced dispersal of metals derived from both sources onto the floodplain, increasing residential exposure risks. 

In collaboration with the Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency, trace metal analyses of four floodplain transects were conducted using in situ FP-XRF and laboratory pED-XRF. From upstream to downstream, the transects examined include: an undeveloped wooded area, an unremediated area with passive use, an area with a flood control berm and passive use, and a remediated site for a planned park. Transects from Tar Creek across the remediated planned park area and the area with a flood control berm reveal that heavy metals are concentrated closest to the creek and in the lowest elevation areas prone to flooding. Pb concentrations obtained through FP-XRF in the low elevation areas of the planned park transect range from 105–602 µg/g and 111–353 µg/g in the transect with the flood control berm. Steep declines in Pb concentrations corresponding to an increase in elevation suggest topography serves as a barrier for metal remobilization and dispersal further into the floodplain. Following high elevation areas, Pb concentrations remain relatively low and constant with increasing distance from the creek: a factor of ten lower in the planned park area and a factor of seven lower following the flood control berm. Additionally, a 60cm-deep soil trench along the bank of the creek in the undeveloped wooded area was sampled. Geochemical analyses were conducted to evaluate the evolution of fluxes of creek transported metals, and their geochemical fingerprints, over time.

Spatial distributions of Pb, Zn, Cd, and Mn in floodplain soils suggest the City of Miami has succeeded in reducing flood-driven heavy metal mobility through soil remediation efforts and engineered floodplain features. Geochemical characterizations of these remediated and engineered floodplains provide a new baseline for understanding the ongoing fluxes of metal transport and will bolster future efforts to reduce residential exposure to legacy metals.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026NE-411465

© Copyright 2026 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.