Brett Hopt Master's Candidate

Brett Hopt Master’s Candidate

Black shales are rocks that are enriched in heavy metals and metalloids. Previous studies have shown that agriculture crops grown on soils formed on black shales pose a health hazard to humans and biota. However, no study has been conducted on the environmental hazard that these outcrops may pose in watersheds with black shale outcrops. I will be studying how these heavy metals are partitioned in streams once released during weathering; heightened knowledge is needed in this area so that state agencies may better protect human and environmental health in areas where metalliferous black shales occur. 

For my thesis work, I am analyzing river sediments and water samples from watersheds with black shale exposures in eastern Kentucky for the presence of heavy metals. Preliminary statistical analysis from the NURE sediment database has shown that these stream sediments are statistically significantly elevated in many heavy metals—E.G., Co, Cu, Ni, V, and Zn. Current research includes XRD and sequential extraction analysis of these sediments to determine the likely host phases of the heavy metals.