OFR 97-492: Marion 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.]

Ohio
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 1,214 stream-sediment, 1,205 surface-water, and 2,049 ground-water samples within 20 counties from east central Ohio as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Field sampling was conducted during July - August, 1978. Sample coverage included portions of the Canton, Charleston, Clarksburg, Cleveland, Columbus, and Marion 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (A total of 76 stream-sediment, 74 surface-water, and 141 ground-water samples were collected within the Marion 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 330 sediments and 3,252 waters from Ohio; this includes 31 sediment and 215 water samples from the Marion quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Ohio samples were released in the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio Data Report [GJBX-105(82)].

SRL: Marion Quadrangle
SRL did not release a separate report for the Marion quadrangle.

ORGDP: Canton, Cleveland, Marion, Pittsburgh, and Warren Quadrangles
SRL sent 464 Ohio and 161 Pennsylvania sediment samples to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for analysis of uranium and 31 additional elements. ORGDP released the analytical data for 625 samples in the Canton, Cleveland, Marion, Pittsburgh, and Warren Quadrangles GJBX-80(82) Data Report (A total of 53 samples were from the Marion quadrangle). The site coding information for this data set was summarized in the GJBX-51(82) 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 Marion quadrangle samples.

Combination of laboratories that analyzed samples for the Marion quadrangle.
Laboratory Analysis Sediments Waters
Only SRL 17 215
Only ORGDP Lab 39 0
Both SRL and ORGDP Labs 14 0
None 6 0
Total Samples 76 215
Total Data Records 90 215

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

Summary of Marion quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 76 Streams 74
    Wells 117
    Springs 24
Total Sediments 76 Total Waters 215

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples



Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Marion Quadrangle

Sediment Records
The Marion quadrangle sediment data consist of reformatted records from the Ohio portion of the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio Data Report [GJBX-105(82)]. These records were compared and combined with Canton quadrangle records from the ORGDP Canton, Cleveland, Marion, Pittsburgh, and Warren Quadrangles GJBX-80(82) Data Report. Site descriptive information and coordinates were compared for all corresponding records. The following problems were found and addressed during the reformatting process of the Marion quadrangle sediment data:

  1. The SRL and the ORGDP Laboratory each analyzed the same 14 stream-sediment samples from Ohio. Because of overlapping data fields, it was necessary to create two data records for each sample to preserve all the data.
  2. 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). The missing codes were assigned a value of "unknown" in the CONTAMC field within the final sediment data file.
  3. The original ORGDP files for the Canton, Cleveland, Marion, Pittsburgh, and Warren quadrangles did not include all of the information about the character of the sample location. This missing information includes observations taken at each site on the stream width, depth, and flow, water color, surrounding vegetation, local relief, weather, and possible contaminants. In addition, the longitude coordinate reported in the ORGDP file only had 3 decimal places instead of the 4 decimal places found in the corresponding records from SRL State files. The missing site descriptive data and the complete longitude value were added to ORGDP records from the corresponding SRL State file records. Sources of data and any problems found are described in the REFORMAT comment field.
  4. 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 Marion quadrangle water data consist of reformatted records from the the Ohio portion of the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio Data Report [GJBX-105(82)]. The following problems were found and addressed during the reformatting process of the Marion quadrangle water data:

  1. The original NURE format for surface-water files did not include much information about the character of the sample location. This missing information includes observations taken at each site on the stream width, depth, and flow, water color, surrounding vegetation, local relief, weather, and possible contaminants. This information is given in records for stream-sediment samples that were collected at the same locations. The available site descriptive information for stream-water sites were compared with the corresponding stream-sediment site records. The missing site descriptive data were then added to stream-water records from the corresponding stream-sediment sample records. Sources of data and any problems found are described in the REFORMAT comment field.
  2. 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). The missing codes were assigned a value of "unknown" in the CONTAMC field within the final sediment data file.
  3. 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.


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).

Marion Quadrangle Sediment Data - 90 records
Marion Quadrangle Water Data - 215 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. Sample coverage in the Marion quadrangle limited to four counties along the eastern border of the quadrangle and includes samples from Coshocton, Holmes, Muskingum, and Wayne Counties in Ohio. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverage.

Six stream-sediment samples within the Marion quadrangle were not analyzed by any of the various laboratories. The following table summarizes the locations of those unanalyzed samples.

General locations of unanalyzed samples.
State County Unanalyzed Samples Total Samples
Ohio Coshocton 5 24
Ohio Wayne 1 34



Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Marion Quadrangle

None found.



Marion Quadrangle NURE Bibliography



Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Ohio 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 1.41: February 23, 2006

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