OFR 97-492: Amarillo 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: Amarillo Quadrangle
Totals of 644 stream-sediment and 1,118 ground-water samples were collected from the Amarillo quadrangle as part of the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) Amarillo Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Both stream-sediment and ground-water sampling were performed by ORGDP staff between August and December, 1978. These samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements. The analytical data were released as the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report.

Summary Tables
The following is a listing of the sample types collected for the Amarillo quadrangle study.

Summary of Amarillo quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 130 Streams 1
Dry Streams 514 Wells 1,102
    Springs 15
Total Sediments 644 Total Waters 1,118

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples


Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Amarillo Quadrangle

The Amarillo quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Amarillo quadrangle data:

Sediment Records

  1. Twenty-seven sediment sample records from the Amarillo quadrangle had values of 0.25 for SN_PPM. These values are assumed to have been a systematic error in the original digital data files and were removed. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each record that was changed.
  2. The sample type code (SAMPTYP) for one sediment record could not be determined directly from the digital data record. This SAMPTYP value was assigned based on data given in tables within the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report.
  3. One stream-sediment sample originally had a latitude of exactly 35°N, the dividing line between the Amarillo quadrangle and the Plainview quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Amarillo quadrangle.
  4. One stream-sediment sample originally had a longitude of exactly 100°W, the dividing line between the Amarillo quadrangle and the Clinton quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Amarillo quadrangle.

Water Records

  1. Two water records were found in the digital data file but were missing in the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report. Each of these records can be identified by a comment in the REFORMAT field.
  2. One well-water sample originally had a latitude of exactly 35°N, the dividing line between the Amarillo quadrangle and the Plainview quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Amarillo Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-111(79) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Amarillo quadrangle.

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).

Amarillo Quadrangle Sediment Data - 644 records
Amarillo Quadrangle Water Data - 1,118 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 +/- 300 feet (91 m) to +/- 280 feet (85 m) for longitude values (calculated at latitudes of 35° and 40°N, respectively.)

One spring-water sample collected in the Amarillo quadrangle was not analyzed by any method.


Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Amarillo Quadrangle

Amarillo Quadrangle NURE Summary
An additional evaluation of the Amarillo quadrangle was conducted by the Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin to investigate areas of anomalous radioactivity and other geochemical anomalies [GJQ-013(81)]. The abstract noted that there are favorable environments for Texas roll-type, Wyoming roll-type, and non-channel-controlled peneconcordant uranium deposits in the Amarillo quadrangle. These environments are found in the sandstones and granite wash of Pennsylvanian/Permian age, plus areas of the Triassic Dockum Group. As part of this study, 1,123 rocks were sampled and analyzed for uranium plus an additional 28 elements. These data are found only as tables on the microfiche accompanying the report.


Amarillo 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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