OFR 97-492: Klamath Falls 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)
Under Construction This page is currently being rewritten to the Version 1.41 format.

Brief History and Description of Data

[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]

Totals of 1,413 sediment and 161 water samples were collected in the Klamath Falls quadrangle from October - December, 1979 as part of the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) Klamath Falls Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. These samples were analyzed by SRL for uranium and other elements (16 additional elements in sediments and 9 in waters) and the analytical data were released in the GJBX-171(80) report. The water samples were then sent to other laboratories for "supplemental analyses." The supplemental analytical data, with results for 31 elements in waters, were not released in a separate report.

In 1982, SRL released a summary report and data files for 50 quadrangles in the Western United States. This report, GJBX-132(82), contains both the SRL analytical data and the supplemental analytical data from the Klamath Falls quadrangle but the concentration values often differ from those reported in the GJBX-171(80) quadrangle report. The introduction section of the GJBX-132(82) summary report states:

"The data in the present report may not be identical to those reported previously. This is due to the use of different "scrub" procedures for the preparation of the data for release. The differences should be minor."

SRL analyses of light hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, propane, and butane) in ground waters were released in the GJBX-131(82) summary report for 44 western quadrangles and 3 eastern quadrangles within the United States. This report includes data for 52 of the Klamath Falls quadrangle ground water samples.

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.

From July through September of 1979, 901 sediment, 536 water, and 95 rock samples were collected in the Klamath Falls quadrangle by personnel of the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for the Lakeview Detailed Geochemical Survey. Radiometric readings of rock samples were done in the field using scintillometers and a gamma-ray spectrometer. The sediment samples, water samples, and three of the rock samples were analyzed for multiple elements by ORGDP and the data were reported in the Lakeview Detailed Study GJBX-141(80) report.

A list of geologic unit codes and explanations used for the Lakeview Detailed Study was obtained from Table 3 and Figure 3 in the GJBX-141(80) report and reproduced here. These codes are found in the SGEOUNIT and PUNIT fields for each record in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files.

Explanations for Geologic Unit Codes.
Code Geologic Unit
QD Undifferentiated Quaternary Deposits
QB Quaternary Basalt Flows
TST Undifferentiated Tertiary Sedimentary Deposits
TA Tertiary Andesite Vitrophyre
TRB Tertiary Rhyolite Breccia
TI Tertiary Rhyolite Intrusives
TAI Undifferentiated Tertiary or Quaternary Extrusives and Shallow Intrusives
TB Tertiary Warner Basalt
TD Tertiary Diabase Intrusives
TBD Tertiary or Quaternary Basaltic Vents
TUCY Upper Cedarville Formation (Younger)
TUCA Upper Cedarville Formation (Older)
TDGM Diorite, Granodiorite, and Quartz Monzonite
TDAC Tertiary Dacite Flows
UNKN Unknown

The following is a general listing of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Klamath Falls quadrangle. The actual number of records in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files may be greater because of the multiple records needed to preserve all the data.

Summary of Klamath Falls quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 342 Streams 315
Dry Streams 1,211 Wells 177
Soils 761 Springs 205
Total Sediments 2,314 Total Waters 697

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples

Rock Samples (Detailed Study only)



Composition of the NEW-FORMAT NURE Data Files

The data in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files consist of records from all of the above reports. In order to reduce the number of records, a decision was made to primarily use the data from the GJBX-132(82) western U.S. summary report. The rationale for choosing this data set was that (1) it represents a later compilation of the data and (2) it should be more consistent across quadrangle boundaries because of the common "scrubbing procedure." Every record was checked against the "equivalent" record in the earlier GJBX-171(80) quadrangle report and any major differences were noted in the REFORMAT comment field. These different but unused quadrangle report records were combined and saved as extra files which may be accessed below.

For the water data file the SRL analyses and supplemental analyses could NOT be combined because of overlapping determinations for 5 elements. Each water sample may therefore have 2 separate records - one for the SRL analysis and one for the supplemental analysis.

Seventy-four sediment records and eleven surface water records were missing from the Klamath Falls GJBX-171(80) quadrangle digital file. Since these records exist in the Western U.S. Summary GJBX-132(82) digital file, they were not added to the extra data files. These records can be found in the microfiche appendices to the Klamath Falls GJBX-171(80) quadrangle report. Also, many analytical values were missing from the Klamath Falls GJBX-171(80) quadrangle digital file for waters. These values were not added to the extra water data file but can be found in the Klamath Falls GJBX-171(80) quadrangle report.

Hydrocarbon data from the GJBX-131(82) report were added to fields in the appropriate ground water records and this addition was noted for each record in the REFORMAT comment field.

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.

Sediment and water records from the Lakeview Detailed Study GJBX-141(80) report were also added to the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files. Helium - Neon ratio data from the Lakeview water samples were placed in a separate data file. A partial description of fields unique to this file is given below in the Lakeview Detailed Study Helium/Neon Data Format. Data from the rock samples were also placed in a separate data file. A partial description of fields unique to this file is given below in the Lakeview Detailed Study Rock Data Format.



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 websites, 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).

Klamath Falls Quadrangle Sediment Data - 2,407 records
Klamath Falls Quadrangle Water Data - 858 records
Under Construction Klamath Falls Quadrangle Rock Data - klamat_r.dbf.gz
Under Construction Klamath Falls Quadrangle He/Ne Ratio Data - klamatxx.dbf.gz
Under Construction Unused set of quadrangle sediment records - klamatsx.dbf.gz
Under Construction Unused set of quadrangle water records - klamatwx.dbf.gz



Notes for Data Users

The ORGDP Lakeview Detailed Study water samples were reportedly collected without any filtering or acidification. (See the SAMPTYP coding explanation in the On-Line Manual for New-Format NURE HSSR Data Files for descriptions of different Sample Types). However, these ORGDP 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 and may not be comparable to the SRL water samples which have a different SAMPTYP. Since this was the standard procedure for ORGDP, water data from other ORGDP studies should be comparable.

Latitude-longitude coordinates were reported in the original Lakeview Detailed Study 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 +/- 259 feet (79 m) to +/- 280 feet (85 m) for longitude values (calculated at latitudes of 45° and 40°N, respectively.)

Many records contain analytical values with insignificant digits. Most data should only have 2 or 3 significant digits and differences after the second or third digit should be ignored.



Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Klamath Falls Quadrangle

A summary evaluation report was prepared for the Klamath Falls quadrangle by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation (BFEC) of Grand Junction, Colorado [PGJ/F-061(82)]. Additional samples of 198 rocks were collected by BFEC in the quadrangle to "identify and delineate areas favorable for uranium deposits." All of the samples were analyzed for uranium oxide by fluorometry. 142 of the samples were analyzed by gamma spectroscopy for equivalent K, U, and Th, and 74 were analyzed for 16 other elements by emission spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy. These data were released only as microfiche appendices accompanying the summary report. The report also includes uranium oxide and equivalent K, U, and Th results for 27 rock samples from a previous study that is referenced in the report.

A report on the geology of the Klamath Falls quadrangle prepared for the Savannah River Laboratory can be found in the GJBX-7(83) report. No geochemistry accompanies this report.



Klamath Falls Quadrangle NURE Bibliography



Lakeview Detailed Study Helium/Neon Data Format

Explanations are only included for fields unique to this study. For the explanation of common fields consult the On-Line Manual for New-Format NURE HSSR Data Files. After each field name is a format code. A format code of (A5) means that the field is formatted as an alpha character field 5 characters in length; a format code of (N) means that the field is formatted as a numeric field.

NEBATCH (A5)

ORGDP analytical batch number for analysis of helium/neon ratios.

HENERATIO (N)

Helium/Neon ratio by an undetermined method. Specified in digital file as ORGDP Procedure 14.



Lakeview Detailed Study Rock Data Format

Explanations are only included for fields unique to this study. For the explanation of common fields consult the On-Line Manual for New-Format NURE HSSR Data Files. After each field name is a format code. A format code of (N) means that the field is formatted as a numeric field.

EQ_K_PCT (N)

Equivalent Potassium, reported in percent. Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.

K_CPM (N)

Counts per Minute Potassium. Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.

EQ_TH_PPM (N)

Equivalent Thorium, reported in parts per million (ppm). Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.

TH_CPM (N)

Counts per Minute Thorium. Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.

EQ_U_PPM (N)

Equivalent Uranium, reported in parts per million (ppm). Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.

U_CPM (N)

Counts per Minute Uranium. Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.

TOT_CPM (N)

Total Counts per Minute. Determined in the field with a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer.



Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Oregon - NURE data
Back to California - NURE data
Back to Nevada - NURE data
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning NURE HSSR Data
Home Page: USGS National Geochemical Database - NURE HSSR data



Page written by Andrew W. Holt 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 1.40: January 13, 2006

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