44 Environmental Geoscience (Posters)

Wednesday, 11 March 2026
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
RCC, Lower Level Hall

GIS investigation of pollutant metals associated with a major steel facility in northwestern Indiana

Paper number: 44-10
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

The city of Gary, IN is an example of a US Midwestern city that has experienced a large decrease in steel production over the last few decades. This decrease has led to a corresponding economic decline, greatly affecting the lives of the citizens, yet has left a legacy of pollution. Previous research and recent HR-ICP-MS work demonstrate that the concentrations of many metals in road sediment very likely reflect pollution from a major steel facility located in Gary. Additionally, the use of SEM and TEM illustrated the presence and prevalence of technogenic spherules and metal shavings that likely originated from the steel facility. GIS investigations have been conducted on road sediment in the U.S., however, none of those studies involved HR-ICP-MS analyses using triplicate samples, as used in this study. Recent HR-ICP-MS data show positive correlations between concentrations of several metals related to steel production (e.g., Cr and V, Cr and Mo, Hg and Mo) and are interpreted to at least partly originate from the steel facility. This GIS investigation involves averaging the element concentrations for each set of triplicates and mapping the spatial distributions. When examining GIS maps of the spatial distributions, Cr and V appear to have very similar spatial distributions, and both generally decrease away from the steel plant. Hg is detected in 75 of 90 road sediment replicates and has concentrations from BDL to 28.24 ppm, with an average concentration of 6.61 ppm. The spatial distribution of Hg shows a greater concentration closer to the steel facility, and a greater concentration closer to the interstate. Additionally, Pb, Cu, and Zn concentrations in road sediment all decrease with increasing distance from the steel facility. However, distributions are not as strongly tied to the steel facility as Cr, V, and Hg, suggesting additional influences. When moving eastward, concentrations of Pb decrease in a somewhat more pronounced manner than Cu and Zn. GIS analysis suggests a strong spatial association between pollutant concentrations and the steel facility. This is the first investigation of road sediment involving triplicate HR-ICP-MS samples with Hg and Mo concentrations, and GIS analysis in the US. This study provides new constraints on the nature of steel related pollution in Gary and surrounding areas.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411658

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