USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

About USGS /  Science Topics /  Maps, Products & Publications /  Education / Publication: FAQ

Missouri
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 2,162 stream-sediment, 1,340 surface-water, and 3,423 ground-water samples within 30 counties from the southeast and southwest corners of Missouri as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The samples were collected during May - August, 1978, October - December, 1978, and May - June, 1979 and included portions of the Dyersburg, Harrison, Joplin, Paducah, Poplar Bluff, Rolla, St. Louis, Springfield, and Tulsa 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (A total of 26 stream-sediment, 11 surface-water, and 28 ground-water samples were collected within the Joplin quadrangle.) These samples were sent to SRL for analysis of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters). SRL was able to analyze 1,669 sediments and 4,762 waters from Missouri; this includes all 39 water samples but none of the sediment samples from the Joplin quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Missouri samples were released in the Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas Data Report [GJBX-104(82)].

SRL: Joplin Quadrangle
SRL did not release a separate report for the Joplin quadrangle.

ORGDP: Joplin, Rolla, and Springfield Quadrangles
SRL sent several Missouri sediment samples to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for analysis of uranium and 31 additional elements. ORGDP released the analytical data for 462 samples in the Joplin, Rolla, and Springfield Quadrangles GJBX-73(82) Data Report. This report includes data for 25 stream-sediment samples from the Joplin quadrangle. The site coding information for this data set was summarized in the GJBX-51(82) report.

ORGDP: Joplin Quadrangle
Totals of 714 stream-sediment and 739 ground-water samples from the Joplin quadrangle as part of the Joplin Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Sediment and water samples were collected between July and October of 1978 by Geochemex, Inc. of Memphis, Tenn. as a contractor for the ORGDP. Training and technical supervision for all contract sampling was provided by the ORGDP Uranium Resource Evaluation Project staff. These samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements. The analytical data were released as the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report.

Summary Tables
Because of the various laboratories and analytical methods used, some samples may have been analyzed once, twice, or not at all. The following table summarizes the analysis of Joplin quadrangle samples.

The following is a list of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Joplin quadrangle.

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

Sediment Samples

• OR1: Oak Ridge Fluorescence Spectroscopy Analysis of sediments for U. (ORGDP samples only.)
• OR2: Oak Ridge Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for U.
• OR6: Oak Ridge Emission Spectrochemical Analysis of sediments for Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Sc, Sr, Th, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr. (ORGDP samples only.)
• 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. (SRL samples only.)
• OR8: Oak Ridge Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis of sediments for As and Se. (ORGDP samples only.)

Water Samples

• SR4: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of waters for U.
• SR5: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of waters for Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, Mn, Na, and V. (Note: Mg may also be reported by this method.)
• OR9-FL: Oak Ridge Fluorescence Spectroscopy 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.)
• OR16: Oak Ridge Anion Optical Absorption (Technicon AutoAnalyzer) Analysis of waters for Cl and Sulfate.
• OR17: Oak Ridge Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis of waters for As and Se.

Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Joplin Quadrangle

Sediment Records
The Joplin quadrangle sediment data consist of reformatted records from the ORGDP Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report plus records from the Missouri portion of the SRL Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas GJBX-104(82) Data Report combined with corresponding records from the ORGDP Joplin, Rolla, and Springfield Quadrangles GJBX-73(82) Data Report. When combining sample records, site descriptive information and coordinates were compared for all corresponding records. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Joplin quadrangle sediment data:

1. The original ORGDP files for the Joplin, Rolla, and Springfield quadrangles did not include all of the information about the character of the sample location. This missing information includes observations taken at each site on the stream width, depth, and flow, water color, surrounding vegetation, local relief, weather, and possible contaminants. In addition, the longitude coordinate reported in the ORGDP file only had 3 decimal places instead of the 4 decimal places found in the corresponding records from SRL State files. When combining corresponding SRL and ORGDP records, all of the site descriptive data and the longitude values to 4 decimal places from the SRL data files were preserved in the final database.
2. The latitude value for one ORGDP stream-sediment sample was reported as 37°N, the dividing line between the Joplin and Tulsa quadrangles. The data record for this sample was found only in the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. Based on the coordinate values found in the field notes on microfiche that accompany this report, the precision for the decimal-degree coordinates at this site was increased to 4 decimal places. This places the sample unequivocally in the Joplin quadrangle.
3. The latitude value for one ORGDP stream-sediment sample was reported as 38°N, the dividing line between the Joplin and Lawrence quadrangles. The data record for this sample was found only in the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. Based on the coordinate values found in the field notes on microfiche that accompany this report, the precision for the decimal-degree coordinates at this site was increased to 4 decimal places. This places the sample unequivocally in the Joplin quadrangle.
4. The longitude value for one ORGDP stream-sediment sample was reported as 94°W, the dividing line between the Joplin and Springfield quadrangles. The data record for this sample was found only in the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. Based on the coordinate values found in the field notes on microfiche that accompany this report, the precision for the decimal-degree coordinates at this site was increased to 4 decimal places. This places the sample unequivocally in the Joplin quadrangle.

Water Records
The Joplin quadrangle water data consist of reformatted records from the Missouri portion of the SRL Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas GJBX-104(82) Data Report plus reformatted records from the ORGDP Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the reformatting process of the Joplin quadrangle water data:

1. The original NURE format for SRL surface-water files did not include much information about the character of the sample location. This missing information includes observations taken at each site on the stream width, depth, and flow, water color, surrounding vegetation, local relief, weather, and possible contaminants. This information is given in records for stream-sediment samples that were collected at the same locations. The available site descriptive information for stream-water sites were compared with the corresponding stream-sediment site records. The missing site descriptive data were then added to stream-water records from the corresponding stream-sediment sample records. Sources of data and any problems found are described in the REFORMAT comment field.
2. Three ORGDP water records were found in the digital data file that were not listed in tables within the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. These records were included in the database and are identified by a comment in the REFORMAT field.
3. The latitude value for two ORGDP well-water samples were reported as 37°N, the dividing line between the Joplin and Tulsa quadrangles. The data records for these samples were found only in the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. Based on the coordinate values found in the field notes on microfiche that accompany this report, the precision for the decimal-degree coordinates at these 2 sites was increased to 4 decimal places. This places the samples unequivocally in the Joplin quadrangle.
4. The longitude value for one ORGDP well-water sample sample was reported as 96°W, the dividing line between the Joplin and Wichita quadrangles. The data record for this sample was found only in the Joplin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-84(79) report. Based on the coordinate values found in the field notes on microfiche that accompany this report, the precision for the decimal-degree coordinates at this site was increased to 4 decimal places. This places the sample unequivocally in the Joplin quadrangle.
5. Unlikely sample collection dates were found for two 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.

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).

Joplin Quadrangle Sediment Data - 740 records
Joplin Quadrangle Water Data - 778 records

Notes for Data Users

In the eastern United States, SRL collected samples primarily by county. Often, not all counties within a quadrangle were completely sampled. SRL sample coverage in the Joplin quadrangle is limited to the Lawrence and Newton Counties. These counties are found only along the southeast corner of the Joplin quadrangle. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverages.

The water samples were reportedly collected in the field without any filtering or acidification. (See the SAMPTYP coding explanation in the On-Line Manual for USGS-Reformatted NURE HSSR Data Files for descriptions of different Sample Types). However, the samples were filtered later in the laboratory through a 0.45 micron membrane filter before analysis. Therefore, the samples were not true "untreated water" samples and the analytical data may not be directly comparable for other quadrangle water samples of the same SAMPTYP when collected by a different laboratory. Since this was the standard procedure for Oak Ridge, water data from other Oak Ridge quadrangles should be comparable. Note that the SRL water samples were filtered through a 0.8 micron filter on site.

ORGDP Latitude-longitude coordinates were reported in the original data files, as decimal degrees, to only 3 decimal places. Therefore, the precision of these coordinates is limited to +/- 0.001 degrees or +/- 3.6 seconds. This translates to a minimum precision of +/- 364 feet (111 m) for latitude values and between +/- 300 feet (91 m) to +/- 280 feet (85 m) for longitude values (calculated at latitudes of 35° and 40°N, respectively.)

One SRL well-water sample collected within Lawrence County, Missouri and one ORGDP well-water from the Joplin quadrangle study were not analyzed by any of the various laboratories.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Joplin Quadrangle

Joplin Quadrangle NURE Summary
A summary evaluation report on the potential for uranium resources in the Joplin quadrangle was prepared by Geological Services of Tulsa, Inc. [PGJ/F-092(82)]. As part of this study, 40 stream sediments and 103 rocks were collected within the Joplin quadrangle. All samples were analyzed by Skyline Labs for uranium and for 29 other elements by unlisted methods. These data are found only as tables on the microfiche accompanying the report.

Joplin Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Derby, J.R., Upshaw, L.P., Carter, E.O., Roach, L.F., and Roach, D.J., 1982, National Uranium Resource Evaluation, Joplin quadrangle, Missouri and Kansas: Geological Services of Tulsa, Inc., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., PGJ/F-092(82), 36 p.
• Fay, W.M., Sargent, K.A., and Cook, J.R., 1982, Data report: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-146-24, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-104(82), 37 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1979, Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Joplin NTMS Quadrangle, Kansas, Missouri; Uranium Resource Evaluation Project: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-122, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-84(79), 34 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1982, Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Joplin, Springfield and Rolla quadrangles, Missouri; Kansas; Illinois: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-428, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-73(82), 46 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1982, Supplement to hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data reports K/UR-405 and K/UR-408 through K/UR-443 [GJBX-52(82) through GJBX-88(82)]: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-412, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-51(82), 25 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Missouri NURE data
Back to Kansas NURE data
Back to Oklahoma 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 1.20: August 07, 2000
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006

AccessibilityFOIAPrivacyPolicies and Notices
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: https://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/1997/ofr-97-0492/quad/q_joplin.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:13 EDT 2016