RECONSTRUCTION OF PITTSBURGH’S RECENT INDUSTRIAL HISTORY USING LAKE CORE SEDIMENTS

A 45.5 cm core was recovered from Panther Hollow Lake, a 96 year old reservoir, located within the city of Pittsburgh’s 456 acre Schenley Park. The protected watershed has two small tributaries that feed the pond and lies entirely within Schenley Park. The core was extruded in the field at a 0.5 cm interval and the sediments analyzed for a suite of metals using an ICP-AES. Results show initially high values for lead, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and copper but each element shows a marked decreasing trend. The core also has the potential to provide a record of the area’s industrial development by serving as a catchment for fly ash. Fly ash is the particulate matter dispensed by high temperature fossil fuel combustion cells and is emitted into the atmosphere with other flue gases. It typically includes aluminum, magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, and barium. This work is currently ongoing.