OFR 97-492: Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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.]
LASL: Cody Quadrangle
Totals of 1,459 sediment and 604 water samples were collected from 1,506 locations in the Cody quadrangle as part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) Cody Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. These samples were collected during 3 different field seasons by different personnel.
- A private contractor collected samples east of 109°W during June - August, and October of 1976 using the LASL systematic and standardized procedures.
- A second private contractor collected samples west of 109°W (except for those described below) during May - August of 1977 using the LASL systematic and standardized procedures.
- Samples for 193 locations were collected by U.S. Geological Survey personnel as part of the North Absaroka Wilderness study during 1970 and 1971 (Nelson and others, 1980). The LASL obtained splits of these samples in 1978 for use in the Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR study.
Sediment samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium and up to 42 additional elements. Water samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium only. These data were released in the Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-233(80) report.
Summary Tables
The following is a list of NURE sample types collected for the Cody quadrangle study.
Summary of Cody quadrangle sample types.
| Wet Streams |
720 |
Streams |
534 |
| Dry Streams |
709 |
Wells |
30 |
| Wet Springs |
30 |
Springs |
40 |
| Total Sediments |
1,459 |
Total Waters |
604 |
These Cody quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
- LA1: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of sediments for U.
- LA2: Los Alamos Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of sediments for Ag, Bi, Cd, Cu, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sn, and W.
- LA4: Los Alamos Arc-Source Emission Spectrography Analysis of sediments for Be and Li.
- LA5: Los Alamos Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for Al, Au, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, V, Yb, and Zn.
Water Samples
- LA6-DN: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of waters for U.
- LA6-FL: Los Alamos Fluorometry Analysis of waters for U.
Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Cody Quadrangle
The Cody quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-233(80) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Cody quadrangle data:
Sediment Records
- During the NURE sample collection phase, LASL sites and samples were initially assigned a 6-digit integer Identification Number (LASLID) starting with 000001. After 1977, most LASL sites were reassigned a new 1-letter+5-digit Identification Number starting with A00001. All LASL samples and the early LASL reports use the 6-digit integer LASLID. Most of the later reports only use the 1-letter+5-digit LASLID. Although both sets of numbers were usually assigned sequentially, they do not correspond one to one with each other: 100001 does not equal C00001, etc. Whenever possible, the 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field. When the corresponding 6-digit site number could be determined from sample number translation key lists or other sources, this Identification Number was saved in the SITE field.
- A LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Cody quadrangle sediment samples. The 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field and the corresponding 6-digit site number was manually added to the SITE field. Therefore, the LASLID field contains the Identification Number found in the Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-233(80) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers.
- Records for 193 stream-sediment samples originally collected by the USGS as part of the North Absaroka Wilderness study (Nelson and others, 1980) are identified by a comment in the REFORMAT field.
- The Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-233(80) report states that "totals of 627 water and 1,482 sediment samples were collected from 1,529 locations." However, both the report and the data files contain records for only 604 waters and 1,459 sediments. No records were found for the potentially missing 23 water and 23 sediment samples.
- Unlikely sample collection dates were found for seven 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.
- Three sediment sample records contained values for the well pump type(WELLPUMP) or well use(WELLUSE). These parameters were not normally recorded for sediment sample records. The values were removed from each record and added as a comment to the corresponding REFORMAT field.
- Thirty-one stream-sediment samples in this quadrangle share the same latitude-longitude coordinates with up to three other samples (13 distinct coordinate sites). It is unclear whether this represents sets of samples collected at the same thirteen sites or single samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish locations. All of these samples were originally collected by the USGS as part of the North Absaroka Wilderness study (Nelson and others, 1980). Some of the coordinates for these samples appear to have been rounded to the nearest 15 seconds.
Water Records
- A LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Cody quadrangle water samples. The 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field and the corresponding 6-digit site number was manually added to the SITE field. Therefore, the LASLID field contains the Identification Number found in the Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-233(80) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers.
- 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.
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).
Cody Quadrangle Sediment Data - 1,459 records
Cody Quadrangle Water Data - 604 records
Notes for Data Users
The data in the sediment database includes samples collected by 2 different methods with respect to sieve fractions. (See the SAMPTYP coding explanation in the On-Line Manual for USGS-Reformatted NURE HSSR Data Files for descriptions of different Sample Types.) The LASL procedure called for samples to be sieved through a 100 mesh screen while those samples split from the U.S. Geological Survey study were sieved at 80 mesh. Analytical data may not be directly comparable for sediment samples sieved to different fractions. For uranium data, the LASL Cody Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study found that "the uranium content of the -80 mesh and -100 mesh stream sediment samples obtained from nearby areas with similar lithologic units exposed are comparable. Differences in uranium concentrations for samples from the same area seem to result from a difference in lithology rather than sieve size."
Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Cody Quadrangle
Cody Quadrangle NURE Summary
A summary evaluation report was prepared for the Cody quadrangle by the Garrand Corporation of Salt Lake City, Utah [PGJ/F-043(82)]. An additional 148 rock samples were collected from the quadrangle and analyzed for U and other elements. Splits of 237 stream-sediment samples were obtained from the USGS to cover parts of the Absaroka Wilderness and were analyzed for U content. The analytical data were released only as appendices and plates on microfiche accompanying the summary report.
Uranium Anomalies in Wyoming
The Bendix Field Engineering Corporation identified and ranked 269 uranium anomalies from 23 quadrangles in and adjacent to Wyoming. These anomalies were based on an evaluation of the NURE HSSR data, aerial radiometric reconnaissance surveys, and to a lesser extent, geologic evaluations. This report [GJBX-3(83)] lists 8 uranium anomalies that were identified in the Cody quadrangle. No additional geochemical data accompany this report.
Cody Quadrangle NURE Bibliography
- Bolivar, S.L., 1980, Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance data release for the Cody NTMS quadrangle, Wyoming, including concentrations of forty-two additional elements: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-7352-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-233(80), 147 p.
- Garrand, L.J., Kopp, R.S., and Cohenhour, R.E., 1982, National Uranium Resource Evaluation, Cody Quadrangle, Wyoming: Garrand Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., PGJ/F-043(82), 63 p.
- Goodknight, C.S., Ludlam, J.R., Burger, J.A., Dickson, R.E., Dayvault, R.D., Dexter, J.J., and Anderson, J.R., 1982, Uranium anomalies in Wyoming and parts of adjacent states: U.S. Department of Energy, Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-3(83), 11 p.
- Nelson, W.H., Prostka, H.J., and Williams, F.E., 1980, Geology and mineral resources of the North Absaroka Wilderness and vicinity, Park County, Wyoming with sections on Mineralization of the Sunlight mining district and Geology and mineralization of the Cooke City mining district by J.E. Elliot, and a section on Aeromagnetic survey by D.L. Peterson: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1447, 101 p.
Links Within Open-File Report 97-492
Back to Wyoming NURE data
Back to Montana 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 1.00: September 11, 1998
Version 1.10: July 29, 1999
Version 1.20: August 07, 2000
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006
