29 Undergraduate Research, Part II (Posters)

Session showcases undergraduate research. Topics include geoscience-related fields (e.g., resources, hydrology, oceanography, climate, environmental science, geospatial, informatics, health, policy, & education). Undergraduate student/s must be the lead author/s presenters with faculty mentor/s as co-author/s. This session welcomes both poster and oral presentation submissions.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
RCC, Lower Level Hall

Quantifying Heavy Metals in Golf Course Soils 10 Years After Closing

Paper number: 29-15
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

The Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) Regional Science Center (RSC) is located on the grounds of the former Ponderosa Golf Course. Ponderosa originally opened in 1972 as an 18-hole course, but in the 1980s the course shrunk down to 9- holes, until it closed its doors for good in March 2015. At the request of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), Terracon Consultants Inc was hired to do a site investigation, which was completed in August 2015. As a result of the Terracon report, the site was considered contaminated, and MnSCU requested archaeologists no longer excavate from the site. Over 10 years after Ponderosa closed, this study investigates the extent of heavy metal presence on the former 9-hole golf course.

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

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411899

© 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.