OFR 97-492: Austin 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: Texas 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 Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Wide-Spaced Sample Basic Data Release for Texas GJBX-131(81) report for several of these Phase I samples. This report includes data for 261 stream sediment and 406 water samples collected during 1976-77 in the Abilene, Austin, Brownwood, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Houston, Llano, San Angelo, Sonora, and Waco quadrangles. The Wide-Spaced Sample Basic Data Release for Texas GJBX-131(81) report only contains data tables for Phase I samples; no explanatory text accompanies this report. The Wide-Spaced Sample Basic Data Release for Texas GJBX-131(81) report includes data records for 16 water samples collected within the borders of the Austin quadrangle.

Llano Texas Pilot Geochemical Survey
In 1976, a pilot geochemical survey was undertaken to sample a small but regionally and geologically representative area to prepare for a subsequent reconnaissance geochemical survey of the uranium in Central Texas. A total of 134 stream-sediment, 6 soil, 158 water, and 267 plant samples were collected between February and March of 1976 from parts of the Llano, Brownwood, and Austin quadrangles. Of these, 15 sediment, 20 water, and 36 plant samples were collected within the borders of the Austin quadrangle. These samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements and the analytical data were released as the Llano, Texas Pilot Geochemical Survey GJBX-36(76) report.

ORGDP: Austin Quadrangle
Totals of 662 stream-sediment, 727 water, and 3 plant samples were collected from the Austin quadrangle as part of the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) Austin Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Field sampling was conducted by ORGDP personnel between May and June of 1978. These samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements. The analytical data were released as the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) 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 Austin quadrangle samples.

Combination of laboratories that analyzed samples for the Austin quadrangle.
Laboratory Analysis Sediments Waters Plants
ORGDP 677 763 39
Second ORGDP analysis on sample 2 0 0
None 0 0 0
Total Samples 677 763 39
Total Data Records 679 763 39

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

Summary of Austin quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type No. of Samples Water Sample Type No. of Samples Plant Sample Type No. of Samples
Dry Streams 226 Streams 30 Deciduous Tree (5 types) 36
Wet Streams 451 Wells 732 Conifer (1 type) 3
    Springs 1    
Total Sediments 677 Total Waters 763 Total Plants 39

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples

Plant Samples


Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Austin Quadrangle

The Austin quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Texas Wide-Spaced Survey GJBX-131(81) report, reformatted records from the Llano Area Pilot Geochemical Survey GJBX-36(76) report, and reformatted records from the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Austin quadrangle data:

Sediment Records

  1. Records for 15 stream-sediment samples that were collected for the Llano Area Pilot Geochemical Survey GJBX-36(76) report were also found in the digital data file for the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. However, these records were not found in the published data tables within the Austin Quadrangle report. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each of these records.
  2. Nine additional sediment records were found in the digital data file but were missing in the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. A comment noting this problem was added to the REFORMAT field for each record.
  3. Three sediment samples from the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) 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.
  4. Six separate stream-sediment samples in this quadrangle have the same three latitude-longitude coordinates. It is unclear whether this represents three pairs of samples collected at the same sites or samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
  5. One stream-sediment sample originally had a latitude of exactly 30°N, the dividing line between the Austin quadrangle and the Seguin quadrangle. The coordinates were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Austin quadrangle.

Water Records

  1. Records for 20 water samples that were collected for the Llano Area Pilot Geochemical Survey GJBX-36(76) report were also found in the digital data file for the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. However, these records were not found in the published data tables within the Austin Quadrangle report. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each of these records.
  2. Records for 14 water samples that were collected for the Texas Wide-Spaced Survey GJBX-131(81) report were also found in the digital data file for the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. However, these records were not found in the published data tables within the Austin Quadrangle report. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each of these records.
  3. One additional water record was found in the digital data file but was missing in the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. A comment noting this problem was added to the REFORMAT field for the record.
  4. Six sample records contained an invalid value of 'G', or 'P' for the well depth confidence (WLDPTCNF). It appears that the column was miscoded with values from an adjacent field on the original field note sample sheet. The correct values were not found. These values were removed from the WLDPTCNF field and added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
  5. Unlikely sample collection dates were found for six 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.
  6. Four separate well-water samples in this quadrangle have the same two latitude-longitude coordinates. It is unclear whether this represents two pairs of samples collected at the same sites or samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
  7. Three well-water samples originally had a latitude of exactly 30°N, the dividing line between the Austin quadrangle and the Seguin quadrangle. The coordinates were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. This slight change places the samples clearly in the Austin quadrangle.
  8. One well-water sample originally had a longitude of exactly 98°W, the dividing line between the Austin quadrangle and the Llano quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Austin quadrangle.

Plant Records

  1. The Llano Area Pilot Geochemical Survey GJBX-36(76) report includes data for 36 plant samples collected in the Austin quadrangle.
  2. The Austin Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-18(79) report includes data for 39 plant samples collected in the Austin quadrangle. Thirty-six of these sample records were duplicates of records also found in the Llano Area Pilot Geochemical Survey GJBX-36(76) report.
  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).

Austin Quadrangle Sediment Data - 679 records
Austin Quadrangle Water Data - 763 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.)


Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Austin Quadrangle

Austin Quadrangle NURE Summary
A summary evaluation of the Austin quadrangle was prepared by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation and the University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology [PGJ/F-035(82)]. Totals of 830 rock and 395 well-water samples were collected and analyzed for uranium by fluorometry and for 29 additional elements by an unlisted method. Results from these analyses suggest that environments are favorable for uraniferous lignite deposits and Texas roll-type deposits. Favorability of roll-type deposits is present in fluvial sediments of the Jackson Group, the Catahoula Formation, and the Oakville Formation. The environment favorable for lignite deposits is present in delta-plain sediments of the Jackson Group. Data for this study were only found in the tables on microfiche accompanying the report.


Austin Quadrangle NURE Bibliography


Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Texas 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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