Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
In Ironville, New York, smelting for iron was performed from 1828 to 1886 and left behind piles of waste called slag. Ironville is located in the Adirondack Mountains, west of the High Peaks Wilderness. Slag is the leftover byproduct of smelting for a specific ore, and the slag in Ironville is predominantly glassy and sometimes vesicular. Ironville slag comes in a variety of blues, purples, white, and greens, and some are swirled with two or more distinct colors. Five slag samples were selected because of their singular color, and one was selected due to its pattern of dark and light blue bands. Small fragments of these samples were broken, embedded into epoxy, and polished to a smooth surface for study with the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Chemical data for each sample was obtained using energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). All samples, regardless of color, contained O, Si, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Na, and K (listed from high concentration to low). There were no significant differences in the chemistry of all the samples, suggesting that color differences are more due to trace elements rather than major elements. In the banded sample, small changes between Ca and Si content do seem to be at play.
Recommended Citation
Madison, Sierra, "028 - Chemistry of Colored Glass in Slag from Ironville, NY" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 8.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/8
028 - Chemistry of Colored Glass in Slag from Ironville, NY
In Ironville, New York, smelting for iron was performed from 1828 to 1886 and left behind piles of waste called slag. Ironville is located in the Adirondack Mountains, west of the High Peaks Wilderness. Slag is the leftover byproduct of smelting for a specific ore, and the slag in Ironville is predominantly glassy and sometimes vesicular. Ironville slag comes in a variety of blues, purples, white, and greens, and some are swirled with two or more distinct colors. Five slag samples were selected because of their singular color, and one was selected due to its pattern of dark and light blue bands. Small fragments of these samples were broken, embedded into epoxy, and polished to a smooth surface for study with the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Chemical data for each sample was obtained using energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). All samples, regardless of color, contained O, Si, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Na, and K (listed from high concentration to low). There were no significant differences in the chemistry of all the samples, suggesting that color differences are more due to trace elements rather than major elements. In the banded sample, small changes between Ca and Si content do seem to be at play.
Comments
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