U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey

Element Concentrations in Bed Sediment of the Yellowstone River Basin, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming--A Retrospective Analysis

By David A. Peterson and Ronald B. Zelt

Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4185

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Prepared as part of the
NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Cheyenne, Wyoming 1999

U.S. Department of the Interior
Bruce Babbitt, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey
Charles G. Groat, Director

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For additional information write to:

District Chief
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
2617 E. Lincolnway, Suite B
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001-5662

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Denver, Colorado 80225

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CONTENTS Abstract Introduction Purpose and scope Description of the study unit Methods Sample collection Laboratory analysis Data analysis Acknowledgments Element concentrations Spatial distribution based on factor analysis Factor 1 (basaltic rocks) Factor 2 (granitic rocks) Factor 3 (carbonate rocks) Baseline concentrations Sediment-quality assessment values Summary References cited

PLATES

1. Map showing geologic settings and ecoregions, Yellowstone River Basin
(available only as a PDF file; plate measures 26" wide by 36" high; 5.07mb)

2. Map showing factor 1 scores for bed-sediment samples, Yellowstone River Basin
(available only as a PDF file; plate measures 26" wide by 32" high; 3.47mb)

3. Map showing concentrations of copper in bed-sediment samples, Yellowstone River Basin
(available only as a PDF file; plate measures 26" wide by 34" high; 3.75mb)

FIGURES

1. Map showing location of the Yellowstone River Basin study unit, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming

2. Map showing location by quadrangle of bed-sediment samples analyzed by Los Alamos Scientific
Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Yellowstone River Basin

TABLES

1. Descriptive statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected during the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE), Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR), Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

2. Percentage of variance explained by first four unrotated factors, and comparison with percentages
computed from a set of random data

3. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of volcanic rocks of Quaternary age (Yellowstone Plateau), Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

4. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of volcanic rocks of Tertiary and Cretaceous age (Absaroka volcanic field), Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

5. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age, in Wyoming Basin portion, Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

6. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age, outside of Wyoming Basin portion, Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

7. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of sedimentary rocks of Cretaceous age, Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

8. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age, Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

9. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of crystalline rocks of Precambrian age in Beartooth Mountains, Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

10. Summary statistics for element concentrations in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in areas of crystalline rocks of Precambrian age outside Beartooth Mountains, Yellowstone River Basin, 1974-79

11. Sediment-quality assessment values for selected elements, Yellowstone River Basin

CONVERSION FACTORS

Temperature can be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) by using the following equation:
°F = 9/5 (°C) + 32

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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Persistent URL: http://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri994185/ Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing Network Last modified: Wednesday, December 07 2016, 01:08:50 PM

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