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Alabama
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 4,499 stream-sediment, 1,486 surface-water, and 6,204 ground-water samples within 53 counties from the northern two-thirds of Alabama as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The sediment samples were collected during June - December, 1976 and March 1978 - January 1979, and water samples were collected during January - September, 1977 and December 1977 - March 1979. Sample coverage included portions of the Andalusia, Atlanta, Birmingham, Blytheville, Dothan, Gadsden, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Montgomery, Phenix City, Rome, Tupelo, and West Point 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (A total of 127 stream-sediment and 72 ground-water samples were collected within the Dothan quadrangle.) These samples were sent to SRL for analysis of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters). SRL was able to analyze 4,489 sediments and 7,677 waters from Alabama; this includes 126 sediment and all 72 water samples from the Dothan quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Alabama samples were released in the Alabama and Georgia Data Report [GJBX-403(81)].

SRL sent 1,476 sediment samples from Alabama to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 1,471 of these samples in the Alabama and Georgia Data Report [GJBX-403(81)]. The digital data file accompanying this report does not include Supplemental Analyses for any Alabama sediment samples within the Dothan quadrangle.

Georgia
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 6,092 stream-sediment, 14 surface-water, and 5,990 ground-water samples within 142 counties from the northern two-thirds of Georgia as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The sediment samples were collected during June - December 1976, April 1977, and April - September 1978, and water samples were collected during January - December 1977 and March - November 1978. Sample coverage included portions of the Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Brunswick, Dothan, Greenville, Macon, Phenix City, Rome, Savannah, Valdosta, and Waycross 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (A total of 34 stream-sediment and 51 ground-water samples were collected within the Dothan quadrangle.) These samples were sent to SRL for analysis of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters). SRL was able to analyze 5,958 sediments and 5,989 waters from Georgia; this includes all 34 sediment and all 51 water samples from the Dothan quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Georgia samples were released in the Alabama and Georgia Data Report [GJBX-403(81)].

SRL sent 2,956 sediment samples from Georgia to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 2,951 of these samples in the Alabama and Georgia Data Report [GJBX-403(81)]. The digital data file accompanying this report does not include Supplemental Analyses for any Georgia sediment samples within the Dothan quadrangle.

Florida
The NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program was never completed. Several quadrangles were not sampled and apparently most of Florida, including the Florida portion of the Dothan quadrangle, was an area for which no reconnaissance samples were collected or analyzed.

SRL: Dothan, Waycross, and Brunswick Quadrangles
SRL released a separate quadrangle report for the Dothan, Waycross, and Brunswick NTMS quadrangles, which includes data for 201 stream-sediment and 1,224 ground-water samples. (Although it was not mentioned in the report title, data were also included for 27 ground-water samples from the Valdosta quadrangle.) This report includes data for 34 stream-sediment and 51 ground-water samples within the Georgia portion of the Dothan quadrangle. With minor differences, these sample data are the same as the those for corresponding samples found in the state reports. SRL released the analytical data as the Dothan, Waycross, and Brunswick Quadrangles GJBX-27(81) Data Report (Abbreviated). The site coding information for this data set is summarized within the text of this report.

Gold Analyses
Data for gold analyses of sediments by SRL neutron activation were released in the GJBX-135(82) summary report. The introduction of that report states:

"This report contains previously unreported neutron-activation analyses of gold in sediment samples determined at SRL. These data were not included in the standard SRL NURE data reports because the gold spectrum was not measured in the original analytical procedure and the report format was designed without the gold analyses being included. Gold analyses became available as the analytical procedure was refined, but the report format was not modified to incorporate these data."

Only those sediment samples that had detectable concentrations of gold by neutron activation analysis were given in the GJBX-135(82) report. Sediment samples with concentrations below detection limits were not reported and can only be ascertained by identifying which samples were actually analyzed by neutron activation at SRL.

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

The following is a list of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Dothan quadrangle.

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

Sediment Samples

• SR1: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of sediments for U.
• SR2: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for Al, Ce, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Lu, Mn, Na, Sc, Sm, Th, Ti, V, and Yb. (Note: Au values were reported later for this method.)

Water Samples

• SR4: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of waters for U.
• SR5: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of waters for Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, Mn, Na, and V. (Note: Mg may also be reported by this method.)

Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Dothan Quadrangle

Sediment Records
The Dothan quadrangle sediment data consist of reformatted records from the Alabama portion of the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report plus reformatted records from the Dothan portion of the Dothan, Waycross, and Brunswick Quadrangles GJBX-27(81) Data Report compared with corresponding sample records from the Georgia portions of the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Dothan quadrangle sediment data:

1. The analytical values for many U, Eu, Fe, and V determinations differed slightly between the Dothan quadrangle files and the Alabama and Georgia State files. These variations are apparently due only to differences in rounding versus truncation of reported values or to differences in the number of recorded significant digits. Since the variation was insignificant, only one set of the values was retained for the affected elements.
2. Occasionally, analytical values for Fe, La, Na, or V were found in the Alabama and Georgia State files that were missing in the corresponding records from the Dothan quadrangle files. These values were added and that change was noted for each affected record in the REFORMAT comment field.
3. For some records, analytical values for Ce, Eu, Hf, La, Na, and Yb were found in the Dothan quadrangle files but were missing in the corresponding records from the Alabama and Georgia State files. These missing values were noted for each affected record in the REFORMAT comment field.
4. The date on which a sample was analyzed by Neutron Activation Analysis was only recorded in the State digital data files from the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report. This information was added to each of combined sediment data records.
5. During reformatting, contamination codes for "residential" and "recreation" were found to be missing from each State's CONTAMC field. The presence of one of these two codes was indicated only by a "." (period). Most, but not all of these contamination codes were present in the original quadrangle file. When possible, the missing contamination codes were replaced, otherwise the missing codes were assigned a value of "unknown" in the CONTAMC field within the final sediment data file.
6. An analysis of latitude-longitude site coordinates identified several stream-sediment samples that were missing coordinates, did not plot within expected state, county, or map boundaries, or had differing coordinates in corresponding records. To correct or confirm sample coordinates, the original field collection maps for Bullock County, Alabama were obtained and re-digitized. The newly re-digitized coordinates were added to the database and the coordinates from the original file(s) were recorded in the COORDPRB comment field. When the newly re-digitized coordinates were not significantly different, that confirmation of the site location was also noted in the COORDPRB comment field.
7. After re-digitizing, one stream-sediment sample from Bullock County, Alabama originally located in the Phenix City quadrangle now plots in the adjacent Dothan quadrangle.
8. Gold concentrations from the GJBX-135(82) report were added to the appropriate sediment records. A value of -0.01 (<0.01 ppm Au) was added to all other sediment samples determined to have been analyzed by SRL neutron activation. This value was chosen because 0.01 is the lowest reported gold concentration in the entire report.

Water Records
The Dothan quadrangle water data consist of reformatted records from the Alabama portion of the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report. The records from the Dothan portion of the Dothan, Waycross, and Brunswick Quadrangles GJBX-27(81) Data Report were compared with corresponding sample records from the Georgia portions of the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Dothan quadrangle water data:

1. The analytical values for many Al, Br, Dy, and Mn determinations differed slightly between the Dothan quadrangle files and the Georgia State files. These variations are apparently due only to differences in rounding versus truncation of reported values or to differences in the number of recorded significant digits. Since the variation was insignificant, only one set of the values was retained for the affected elements.
2. For 6 records, analytical values for Mg were found in the Georgia State files that were missing in the corresponding records from the Dothan quadrangle files. These values were added and that change was noted for each affected record in the REFORMAT comment 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).

Dothan Quadrangle Sediment Data - 161 records
Dothan Quadrangle Water Data - 123 records

Notes for Data Users

In the eastern United States, SRL collected samples primarily by county. Often, not all counties within a quadrangle were completely sampled. Sediment sample coverage in the Dothan quadrangle is limited to Barbour, Bullock, and Pike Counties in Alabama; and to Stewart, Sumpter, and Webster Counties in Georgia. Water sample coverage in the Dothan quadrangle is limited to Pike County in Alabama; and to Quitman, Stewart, Sumpter, and Webster Counties in Georgia. These counties are found along the northern border of the Dothan quadrangle. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverages.

One Dothan quadrangle sediment sample collected within Barbour County, Alabama, was not analyzed by any of the various laboratories.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Dothan Quadrangle

None found.

Dothan Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Cook, J.R., 1980, Dothan, Waycross, and Brunswick 1° x 2° NTMS areas, Georgia; data report (abbreviated): E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-80-146-26, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-27(81), 17 p.
• Fay, W.M., and Cook, J.R., 1982, Gold analyses by neutron activation from SRL NURE samples: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-141-38, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-135(82), 45 p.
• Fay, W.M., Sargent, K.A., and Cook, J.R., 1981, Data report: Alabama and Georgia: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-146-21, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-403(82), 34 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Alabama NURE data
Back to Georgia NURE data
Back to Florida NURE data
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning NURE 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 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: https://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/1997/492/quad/q_dothan.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:26 EDT 2016