OFR 97-492: Sandpoint Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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This page is currently being rewritten to the Version 1.41 format.
[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) was responsible for the collection and analysis of NURE samples from the Sandpoint quadrangle. Contractors were hired to collect the reconnaissance samples. Washington State University collected ground water samples and Bendix Field Engineering Corp. collected sediment and surface water samples. Between July and October, 1977, a total of 1,951 sediment samples (1,744 reconnaissance samples, 157 site duplicate samples, and 50 analytical duplicate samples) and 1,620 water samples (1,459 reconnaissance samples and 161 site duplicate samples) were collected for the LLL Sandpoint Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. LLL crews resampled 100 sediment sites (110 samples) and 77 water sites (93 samples) as part of their quality assurance program during September and October of 1977. The corresponding reconnaissance sample number was cross referenced. All of these samples were analyzed by LLL for uranium and several other elements and the analytical data were released in the GJBX-70(79) report.
During May and June of 1976, 1,725 sediment and 1,684 water samples were collected from 1,781 locations in Lincoln and Flathead Counties of northwest Montana as part of one of the initial Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) studies. This study covered all of the Kalispell quadrangle and parts of the adjacent Sandpoint and Cut Bank quadrangles. Within the Sandpoint quadrangle, 40 sediment samples and 43 water samples were collected. The samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium content and the data were released in the GJBX-48(77) report.
From June through August of 1979, Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected totals of 2,415 sediment and 631 water samples in the Okanogan quadrangle as part the detailed geochemical survey of the Kettle Falls area. These samples were analyzed for multiple elements by SRL and the data were reported in the Kettle Falls Detailed Study GJBX-134(82) report. Note: Two of the Kettle Falls Detailed Study sediment samples actually plot slightly within the adjoining Sandpoint quadrangle.
The following is a list of all sample types (including duplicates) collected in the Sandpoint quadrangle and included in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files.
| Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Streams | 1,524 | Streams | 1,385 |
| Dry Streams | 572 | Wells | 136 |
| Wet Springs | 2 | Springs | 234 |
| Wet Lakes or Ponds | 3 | Lakes or Ponds | 1 |
| Total Sediments | 2,101 | Total Waters | 1,756 |
These Sandpoint quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
Water Samples
The data in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files consist of records from both the LLL GJBX-70(79) report and the LASL GJBX-48(77) report. The coordinate locations for quality-assurance samples were checked against the coordinates for the cross-referenced original sites and differences were noted in the REFORMAT comment field.
Unlike data from other laboratories, the original LLL sediment data files do not indicate when elemental concentrations fall below analytical determination limits. Other laboratories usually report these values as "less than the lower analytical determination limit" (represented by a negative number). These data were added to the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files based upon the approximate lower limits of detection given in Table 2 of the GJBX-70(79) report.
The original LLL files also contained numerical estimates of the absolute error associated with each elemental concentration. These data were not included in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files but were placed into additional supplemental data files. The Absolute Error Extra Data Format is explained later in this document.
Records from the Kettle Falls Detailed Study GJBX-134(82) report were reformatted and added to the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files. Data records for the 2 Sandpoint quadrangle samples were kept with the remainder of the Kettle Falls Detailed Study data records in the Okanogan quadrangle sediment file.
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).
Sandpoint Quadrangle Sediment Data - 2,103 records
Sandpoint Quadrangle Water Data - 1,756 records
LLL Error Estimates Data for Sediment Analyses - sandptsx.dbf.gz
LLL Error Estimates Data for Water Analyses - sandptwx.dbf.gz
The data in the water database includes samples collected by 2 different methods with respect to filtering and acidification (See the SAMPTYP coding explanation in the On-Line Manual for New-Format NURE HSSR Data Files for descriptions of different Sample Types. Analytical data may not be directly comparable for water samples collected by different methods.
Also note that water and sediment samples have been analyzed by two different Laboratories and by different analytical techniques. Comparing data between labs may be complicated by different analytical bias inherent in the values reported.
Although the sediment samples collected by each Laboratory have differing SAMPTYP codes, the samples are probably equivalent for the Sandpoint quadrangle since both labs sieved the sediments at 100-mesh (150 microns). Differences may be present due to analytical bias.
Users of past versions of the Sandpoint quadrangle sediment database have had problems with LLL data because the fields were blank when the element concentration fell below the lower analytical determination limits. This absence of the lower end of the data population was responsible for skewing the data in statistical and contouring programs to levels that were higher than expected. As described above, the NEW-NURE FORMAT attempts to solve this problem by replacing those blanks with "less than" values based on reported lower determination limits.
The Bendix Field Engineering Corporation of Grand Junction, Colorado prepared a summary evaluation of the Sandpoint quadrangle [PGJ/F-005(82)]. An additional 983 rock, 25 sediment, 54 stream water, and 77 soil samples were collected from all parts of the quadrangle and analyzed for uranium. The multielement data was released only as microfiche appendices and accompany the summary report.
Explanations are only included here for fields unique to these files. 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 an Numeric field.
A statistical estimate of measurement uncertainty associated with quantifying the corresponding uranium concentration determined by Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis. (expressed as a percentage of the uranium concentration found in field U_DN_PPM for sediment data or U_DN_PPB for water data in the NEW-NURE FORMAT data files).
(Where EL represents different element symbols.) A numerical estimate of the uncertainties associated with quantifying the corresponding elemental concentration determined by Neutron Activation Analysis. (expressed in the same concentration units as the element concentration found in the NEW-NURE FORMAT data files).
Back to Washington NURE data
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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 1.40: January 13, 2006
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