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Estancia Valley Pilot Survey
Early in the NURE Program, the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) conducted a high-density pilot sampling survey of the Estancia Valley in central New Mexico under contract with Prof. Douglas G. Brookins, Department of Geology, University of New Mexico. This study included portions of the Albuquerque, Fort Sumner, Santa Fe, and Socorro 2° quadrangles. Samples of water and sediment were collected from almost 3,000 locations between July and November of 1975. In addition to samples collected by standard LASL methods, additional water samples were collected from 279 locations using different filtering and acidification techniques to study the effects of water treatment methods and 100 sediment samples were used in a sieving study. In some cases, samples of different types were given the same LASL sample number and coordinates when collected within 300 m of each other. Examples given include where a dry stream enters a wet pond or where a dry stream enters a wet stream. All of the samples were sent to LASL for uranium analyses. The data for 2,992 sediment and 505 water samples were released with the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) report. Of those reported, 362 sediment and 69 water samples were collected within the Fort Sumner quadrangle.

LASL: Fort Sumner Quadrangle
Totals of 957 sediment and 589 water samples were collected from 1,521 locations within the Fort Sumner quadrangle as part of the LASL Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. A private subcontractor, under the direction of LASL, collected sediment and water samples from the quadrangle between April and May of 1977 and additional sediment samples between April and July of 1978. These samples plus 179 sediment and 58 water samples from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study were sent to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for uranium and multielement analyses. The analytical data were released as the Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) report.

Summary Tables
The following is a list of sample types collected for all studies within the Fort Sumner quadrangle. This table includes some sample replicates found in the data.

These Fort Sumner quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:

Sediment Samples

• LA1: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of sediments for U.
• OR1: Oak Ridge Fluorescence Spectroscopy Analysis of sediments for U.
• OR2: Oak Ridge Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for U.
• OR7: Oak Ridge Emission Spectrochemical Analysis of sediments for Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Sc, Sr, Th, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr.

Water Samples

• LA6-DN: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of waters for U.
• LA6-FL: Los Alamos Fluorometry Analysis of waters for U.
• OR9-FL: Oak Ridge Fluorescence Spectroscopy Analysis of waters for U.
• OR9-MS: Oak Ridge Mass Spectrometry Analysis of waters for U.
• OR13: Oak Ridge Emission Spectrochemical Analysis of waters for Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Sc, Si, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr. (Note: Nb and Th may be included in this method.)

Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Fort Sumner Quadrangle

The Fort Sumner quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) report combined with corresponding records from the Fort Sumner portion of the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Santa Fe quadrangle data:

1. During the NURE sample collection phase, LASL sites and samples were initially assigned a 6-digit integer Identification Number (LASLID) starting with 000001. After 1977, most LASL sites were reassigned a new 1-letter+5-digit Identification Number starting with A00001. All LASL samples and the early LASL reports use the 6-digit integer LASLID. Most of the later reports only use the 1-letter+5-digit LASLID. Although both sets of numbers were usually assigned sequentially, they do not correspond one to one with each other: 100001 does not equal C00001, etc. Whenever possible, the 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field. When the corresponding 6-digit site number could be determined from sample number translation key lists or other sources, this Identification Number was saved in the SITE field.
2. No LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Fort Sumner quadrangle sediment samples. The 6-digit LASL Identification Number found in LASLID was also added to the SITE field. Therefore, the value found in the LASLID and SITE fields is same LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers as well as the value published in Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) and Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) reports.
3. The number of samples listed in the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) abstract and report do not agree with the number of samples found in the data table appendices or the digital data released on tape.
4. 103 sediment samples from the Fort Sumner portion of the Estancia Valley Pilot Study share the same latitude-longitude coordinates with up to two other samples (51 distinct coordinate sites). These represent different samples collected at approximately the same sites.
5. The LASL and the ORGDP Laboratory each analyzed and reported data records for the same 179 sediment samples from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study that were later included in the Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study. Because there were no overlapping data fields, these corresponding records were compared and combined into a single composite record for each sample.
6. When combining the 179 corresponding sediment records from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) and Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) reports, some differences between corresponding records were found in the sample type(SAMPTYP), stream channel character(STRCHANL), pH(PH), or water temperature(WTRTEMP) fields. These differences appear to be due to corrections added to the later Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) report. Therefore when differences were found, the value from the Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) report was retained in the field and the differing value from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) report was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field. However, when values for these fields were missing in records from the Fort Sumner Quadrangle study but present in records from the Estancia Valley study, the Estancia Valley study values were added to the combined record. These changes were also noted in the REFORMAT comment field.
7. Unlikely sample collection dates were found for three samples. These dates were removed from the SAMPDAT field. For each record, the original SAMPDAT value and the most likely correct value was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
8. Eleven sediment sample records contained values for the well pump type(WELLPUMP), well use(WELLUSE), or well diameter(WELLDIAM). These parameters were not normally recorded for sediment sample records. The values were removed from each record and added as a comment to the corresponding REFORMAT field.

1. No LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Fort Sumner quadrangle water samples. The 6-digit LASL Identification Number found in LASLID was also added to the SITE field. Therefore, the value found in the LASLID and SITE fields is same LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers as well as the value published in Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) and Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) reports.
2. The LASL and the ORGDP Laboratory each analyzed and reported data records for the same 58 water samples from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study that were later included in the Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study. Because there were no overlapping data fields, these corresponding records were compared and combined into a single composite record for each sample.
3. When combining the 58 corresponding water records from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) and Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) reports, some differences between corresponding records were found in the stream channel character(STRCHANL), stream flow code(STRFLOWC), sediment type(SEDTYPE), or sediment color(SEDCOLR) fields. These differences appear to be due to corrections added to the later Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) report. Therefore when differences were found, the value from the Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-395(81) report was retained in the field and the differing value from the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) report was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field. However, when values for these fields were missing in records from the Fort Sumner Quadrangle study but present in records from the Estancia Valley study, the Estancia Valley study values were added to the combined record. These changes were also noted in the REFORMAT comment field.
4. An unlikely sample collection date was found for one sample. This date was removed from the SAMPDAT field and the original SAMPDAT value with the most likely correct value was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
5. One record in the digital data files for this quadrangle had at least one analytical result value of 99999. These values were confirmed in the published quadrangle report. It is not clear if this value represents a valid value, a null value, or a value indicating that the analytical result was greater than the upper limit of determination. This value was left in the data record and noted in the REFORMAT comment field.

Download The Data

The NURE HSSR data are now available online in two databases: The sediment database (also includes data for soils and some rocks) at http://tin.er.usgs.gov/nure/sediment/ and the water database at http://tin.er.usgs.gov/nure/water/. From these two web sites, NURE HSSR data can be selected, examined, summarized, and downloaded by political boundaries (State and County), by quadrangle (1:250,000-scale, 1:100,000-scale, and 1:63,360-scale for Alaska or 1:24,000-scale for the Lower 48 States), and by hydrologic unit (drainage region, subregion, river basin, or sub-basin). Selected data can be downloaded as a dBase file, a shapefile, an HTML table, or ASCII text (tab- or comma-delimited).

Fort Sumner Quadrangle Sediment Data - 1,319 records
Fort Sumner Quadrangle Water Data - 658 records

Notes for Data Users

None at this time.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Fort Sumner Quadrangle

Estancia Valley Pilot Survey
The additional data for the described water treatment and sediment sieving studies were not included in the Estancia Valley Pilot Study GJBX-21(77) report. These data have not been found in other NURE reports, either.

Fort Sumner Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Olsen, C.E., 1977, Uranium Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Pilot Survey of the Estancia Valley, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, San Miguel, and Torrance Counties, New Mexico: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-6650-MS Part 1, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-21(77), 117 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1981, Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Fort Sumner quadrangle, New Mexico: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-389, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-395(81), 165 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to New Mexico NURE data
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning NURE HSSR Data
Home Page: USGS National Geochemical Database - NURE HSSR data

Page written by Steven M. Smith (smsmith@usgs.gov)
Version 1.10: July 29, 1999
Version 1.20: August 07, 2000
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: https://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/1997/ofr-97-0492/quad/q_ftsumr.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:12 EDT 2016