OFR 97-492: Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study

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National Geochemical Database—Reformatted Data from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) Program

By Steven M. Smith
Version 1.40 (2006)

Brief History and Description of Data

[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]

ORGDP: Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey
Early in the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program, personnel from the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) sampled several areas with a wide-spaced sample coverage (Phase I sampling). Phase I samples were generally collected in stream basins averaging 250 square kilometers in area and from wells at about a 16 km spacing. The purpose of the Phase I sampling was to define uranium provinces that warranted additional sampling at a higher density (Phase II sampling). These samples were sent to the ORGDP and analyzed for uranium and other elements. For many 1:250,000-scale 2-degree quadrangles, Phase I samples were included with later Phase II samples and utilized in the individual HSSR basic data quadrangle reports. Some Phase I samples were never utilized in basic data quadrangle reporting. ORGDP issued the Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey in the Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles, Texas GJBX-73(78) report for several of these Phase I samples. This report includes data for 287 stream-sediment, 1 rock, 529 water, and 161 botanical samples collected between July and November of 1976 in the Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring quadrangles. Data for one stream-sediment and three water samples collected in the Llano quadrangle were also included in this report. The Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey GJBX-73(78) report includes data records for 44 stream-sediment, 108 water, and 23 botanical samples collected within the borders of the Plainview quadrangle.

ORGDP: Plainview Quadrangle
Totals of 541 stream-sediment and 894 ground-water samples were collected from the Plainview quadrangle as part of the ORGDP Plainview Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Field sampling was conducted by personnel from the Austin, Texas field office of Bendix Field Engineering Corporation between July and November of 1977. These samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements. The analytical data were released as the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report.

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

Combination of laboratories that analyzed samples for the Plainview quadrangle.
Laboratory Analysis Sediments Waters Plants
ORGDP 576 1,002 1
Second ORGDP analysis on sample 38 0 0
None 9 0 22
Total Samples 585 1,002 23
Total Data Records 623 1,002 23

The following is a list of NURE sample types collected in the Plainview quadrangle.

Summary of Plainview quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type No. of Samples Water Sample Type No. of Samples Plant Sample Type No. of Samples
Dry Streams 449 Streams 21 Deciduous Tree (5 types) 23
Wet Streams 136 Wells 977    
    Springs 4    
Total Sediments 585 Total Waters 1,002 Total Plants 23

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples

Plant Samples


Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Plainview Quadrangle

The Plainview quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted Plainview quadrangle records from the Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey GJBX-73(78) report plus records from the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Plainview quadrangle data:

Sediment Records

  1. Three Plainview quadrangle sediment samples from the Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey GJBX-73(78) report were apparently analyzed by two different ORGDP multielement analysis methods. Because of overlapping data fields, it was necessary to create two data records for each sample to preserve all the data. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each of these records.
  2. Thirty-five sediment samples from the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report were analyzed by two different ORGDP multielement analysis methods. Because of overlapping data fields, it was necessary to create two data records for each sample to preserve all the data. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each of these records.
  3. Nine sediment records were not included in the original digital data file for the Plainview quadrangle. These records were manually entered from the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report.
  4. The Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey GJBX-73(78) report included data for one sediment sample apparently collected in the Llano quadrangle.
  5. The Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report included data for one sediment sample apparently collected in the Lawton quadrangle.
  6. 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.
  7. Two separate stream-sediment samples in this quadrangle have the same latitude-longitude coordinates. From the sample site descriptions and comments it appears that this represents a pair of samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
  8. One stream-sediment sample originally had a latitude of exactly 34°N, the dividing line between the Plainview quadrangle and the Lubbock quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Plainview quadrangle.
  9. Two stream-sediment samples originally had a longitude of exactly 100°W, the dividing line between the Plainview quadrangle and the Lawton quadrangle. The coordinates for these samples were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report. This slight change places these samples clearly in the Plainview quadrangle.
  10. The latitude and longitude coordinates for 5 stream-sediment samples collected within the Sioux City quadrangle were not found in the data during the reformatting process. The records for these 5 samples cannot be retrieved on a geographical basis.

Water Records

  1. Nine well-water records were not included in the original digital data file for the Plainview quadrangle. These records were manually entered from the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report.
  2. The Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey GJBX-73(78) report included data for 3 water samples apparently collected in the Llano quadrangle.
  3. One water sample record contained a value for the concentration of platinum (PT_PPM). Platinum was not analyzed in water samples by any of the documented ORGDP methods. This value was removed from the record and added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
  4. 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.
  5. Two separate well-water samples in this quadrangle have the same latitude-longitude coordinates. From the sample site descriptions and comments it appears that this represents a pair of samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
  6. One stream-water sample originally had a latitude of exactly 34°N, the dividing line between the Plainview quadrangle and the Lubbock quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Plainview quadrangle.
  7. The original latitude and longitude coordinates for 1 well-water sample apparently collected within the Plainview quadrangle placed the sample location in the Amarillo quadrangle. No record of this sample was found in the field notes on microfiche accompanying the Plainview Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-92(78) report or in any other report. As a result, the apparently incorrect coordinates were removed from the LAT and LONG fields and added as a comment to the COORDPRB field. The record for this sample cannot be retrieved on a geographical basis.
  8. The latitude and longitude coordinates for 2 stream-sediment samples collected within the Plainview quadrangle were not found in the data during the reformatting process. The records for these 2 samples cannot be retrieved on a geographical basis.

Plant Records

  1. The Plainview, Lubbock, and Big Spring Quadrangles Wide-Spaced Uranium Geochemical Survey GJBX-73(78) report includes data for 23 plant samples collected in the Plainview quadrangle.
  2. Twenty-two of the plant samples collected in the Plainview quadrangle were not analyzed by any method.
  3. At the time of this Open-File release (v. 1.41), the ORGDP plant data have not been completely reformatted and released for downloading. See the ORGDP Plant Data page for a more detailed description of the data format and plant data availability.

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).

Plainview Quadrangle Sediment Data - 618 records
Plainview Quadrangle Water Data - 999 records


Notes for Data Users

The ORGDP 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.

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 +/- 317 feet (97 m) to +/- 300 feet (91 m) for longitude values (calculated at latitudes of 30° and 35°N, respectively.)

Nine stream-sediment samples collected in the Plainview quadrangle were not analyzed by any method.


Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Plainview Quadrangle

Plainview Quadrangle NURE Summary
A summary evaluation of the Plainview quadrangle was prepared by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation [GJQ-001(80)]. Results from these analyses suggest that four areas are favorable for uranium deposition. Favorable areas include three area that are within the fluvial and lacustrine facies of the Triassic Dockum Group. The fourth area is characterized by arkosic alluvial fan and fluvial facies of Late Pennsylvanian and Early Permian age. No additional geochemical data were reported in this study.


Plainview Quadrangle NURE Bibliography


Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Texas 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 Bryan G. Moravec and Steven M. Smith
Contact: Steven M. Smith (smsmith@usgs.gov)
Version 1.20: August 07, 2000
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006

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URL: https://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/1997/ofr-97-0492/quad/q_plainv.htm
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