OFR 97-492: Hutchinson 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: Hutchinson Quadrangle
A total of 616 stream-sediment and 592 ground-water samples was collected from the Hutchinson quadrangle for the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Environmental Systems Corporation of Knoxville, Tennessee, under contract with ORGDP, collected the samples between November and December, 1978. These samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements. The analytical data were released as the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report.

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

Summary of Hutchinson quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 286 Wells 590
Dry Streams 330 Springs 2
Total Sediments 616 Total Waters 592

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples



Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Hutchinson Quadrangle

The Hutchinson quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for these data:

Sediment Records

  1. One sediment record was added to the digital data file from tabulated information found in the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report and accompanying field notes on microfiche. This sample is identified by a comment in the REFORMAT field.
  2. One stream-sediment record from the Hutchinson quadrangle was repeated in the Ardmore quadrangle digital data file. Since the same record is present in the Hutchinson quadrangle data, this mis-identified Ardmore quadrangle sample was deleted
  3. Two separate stream-sediment samples in this quadrangle have the same latitude-longitude coordinates. It is unclear whether this represents a pair of samples collected at the same site or samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
  4. One sediment record was incomplete. Additional data were added to this record from tables in the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report.
  5. An unlikely sample collection date was found for one sample. This date was removed from the SAMPDAT field and the original SAMPDAT value with the most likely correct value was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
  6. Three stream-sediment samples originally had a latitude of exactly 38°N, the dividing line between the Hutchinson quadrangle and the Wichita quadrangle. The coordinates for these samples were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report. This slight change places the samples clearly in the Hutchinson quadrangle.
  7. One stream-sediment sample originally had a latitude of exactly 39°N, the dividing line between the Hutchinson quadrangle and the Manhattan quadrangle. Similar records for this one sample were reported in published reports for both quadrangles. The coordinates were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report. This slight change places the sample slightly into the Hutchinson quadrangle.
  8. One stream-sediment sample originally had a longitude of exactly 96°W, the dividing line between the Hutchinson quadrangle and the Lawrence quadrangle. The coordinates for this sample were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report. This slight change places the sample clearly in the Hutchinson quadrangle.

Water Records

  1. An unlikely sample collection date was found for one sample. This date was removed from the SAMPDAT field and the original SAMPDAT value with the most likely correct value was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
  2. A water record found in the digital data file but not in the Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-133(79) report was determined to be a Dodge City quadrangle sample (ORNLID 209710) that had been given the latitude and longitude coordinates of Hutchinson quadrangle sample (ORNLID 209110). Since the same sample record is present in the Dodge City quadrangle data (with reasonable coordinates), this mis-identified Hutchinson quadrangle record was deleted.


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).

Hutchinson Quadrangle Sediment Data - 616 records
Hutchinson Quadrangle Water Data - 592 records



Notes for Data Users

The 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.)



Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Hutchinson Quadrangle

Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE Summary
A summary evaluation report was prepared for the Hutchinson quadrangle by Wichita State University [PGJ/F-088(82)]. As part of this study, 24 rocks, 3 stream sediments, and 60 waters were sampled within the Hutchinson quadrangle. All samples were analyzed for uranium by fluorometry. The stream sediments and rock samples were also analyzed for 29 other elements and the water samples were analyzed for Mo. These data are found only as tables on the microfiche accompanying the report. The results of this study suggest that there are environments favorable for channel-controlled peneconcordant sandstone deposits in rocks of the Cretaceous age and for Wyoming and Texas roll-type deposits in sandstones of the Pennsylvanian age.



Hutchinson Quadrangle NURE Bibliography



Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Kansas 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 1.10: July 29, 1999
Version 1.20: August 07, 2000
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006

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