Research Geologist
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Email:
afoster@usgs.gov
Office Phone:
650-329-5437
Fax:
650-329-5491
ORCID:
0000-0003-1362-0068
Supervisor:
James E O'connor
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These datasets are from an incubation experiment with a combination of two minerals (feldspar or amorphous aluminum hydroxide), one living species of bacteria (Escherichia coli), and one added form of C (Arthrobacter crystallopoietes necromass). We characterized the sorptive properties of the minerals with batch sorption experiments using four low molecular weight C substrates (glucose, oxalic acid, glutamic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid): this data is provided in the SterileSorptionData file. We then conducted a 3-wk long incubation in serum vials or imaging chambers. In both incubations, feldspar (200 mg) or amorphous aluminum hydroxide (100 mg) was given 1 of 4 different treatments: (1) a water control with autoclaved...
Categories: Data;
Tags: Mineralogy,
Raman spectroscopy,
Soil Sciences,
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC),
biota, All tags...
carbon cycling,
carbon isotope analysis,
environment,
mineralogy,
sorption, Fewer tags
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Re-vegetation of mining wastes is difficult due to the inhospitable conditions for plant growth. Our aim was to determine whether the combined addition of municipal waste compost and plant growth promoting endophytes (i.e., microorganisms that live within plants) could improve plant growth, organic matter accumulation, and phytostabilization of metal contaminants across multiple types of hard rock mine waste. We grew a widespread perennial grass, Bouteloua curtipendula, for 45 days in tailings (Ag-Pb-Au mine) and waste rock (porphyry copper mine) sourced from southeastern Arizona, USA. We quantified organic matter accumulation, microbial biomass, plant growth rates, biomass yields, plant metal concentrations, and...
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Phytostabilization reduces the mobility of inorganic contaminants by establishing or enhancing plant growth. For small, remote, or abandoned mines, phytostabilization may reduce potential environmental hazards—provided plants can establish and grow. We grew a widespread perennial grass, Bouteloua curtipendula, in mining wastes with and without soil (compost, lime) and microbial amendments (endophyte seed coats) to determine whether we could improve plant establishment and growth. This data collection has four associated data releases: the physical elemental, and geochemical characteristics of the mining wastes and soil amendments; the laboratory environmental conditions during the growth of Bouteloua curtipendula...
Tags: Arizona,
Environmental Health,
Geochemistry,
Mineral Resources,
Soil Sciences, All tags...
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC),
bioremediation,
carbon cycling,
carbon isotope analysis,
contaminant transport,
environment,
metallic mineral resources,
phytostabilization,
vegetation, Fewer tags
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Abiotic sorption experiments were conducted with four carbon substrates (glucose, glutamic acid, oxalic acid, para-hydroxybenzoic acid) on four clay minerals (kaolinite, feldspar, ferrihydrite, amorphous aluminum hydroxide) after sterilization by gamma irradiation. The adsorption isotherms were carried across a range of substrate carbon concentrations (0, 20, 100, and 500 mg carbon per L) and pH conditions (approximately 5 – 9) in a background of 10 mM NaCl for 48 hours. The data release contains measured pH values and carbon concentrations before and after the sorption experiments. The release provides derived values of carbon sorption (e.g., carbon sorbed per mineral surface area) as well as characterization of...
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A 45-day mesocosom experiment was conducted to determine how well a perennial grass species (Bouteloua curtipendula) grew in mining wastes from southeastern Arizona. The experiment tested whether the addition of an endophyte seed coat combined with a top dressing of compost improved grass growth, organic matter accumulation, and metal stabilization in the mining wastes (i.e., phytostabilization). The mining wastes were sourced from two formerly active hard rock mines: waste rock from a porphyry copper open pit mine and tailings from a tunnel and shaft polymetallic mine. The plants were grown for 45 days in an indoor growing complex. These data give the environmental conditions of the indoor growing complex (light,...
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