OFR 97-492: Ashland 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: Ashland Quadrangle
A total of 375 stream-sediment and 312 ground-water samples was collected from the Ashland quadrangle as part of the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) Ashland Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Personnel from ORGDP collected all stream-sediment samples between July and September of 1978. Ground-water samples were collected between June and September of 1978. Sampling of ground water in the Wisconsin portion of the quadrangle was performed, under contract, by personnel of the Wisconsin Geological Survey and Natural History Survey. Ground water samples in Minnesota and Michigan were collected by ORGDP personnel. All samples were analyzed by the ORGDP for uranium and other elements. The analytical data were released as the Ashland Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-61(79) report.

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

Summary of Ashland quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 356 Wells 309
Dry Streams 19 Springs 3
Total Sediments 375 Total Waters 312

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples


Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Ashland Quadrangle

The Ashland quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Ashland Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-61(79) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for these data:

Sediment Records

  1. The Ashland Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-61(79) report mentions 383 sediment samples in the abstract, but only lists 316 sediments in the appendix. Fifty-nine samples not listed in the report were found in the accompanying digital data files. If the number of sediments given in the report abstract is correct, then an additional 8 samples are missing from the digital data file, the data tables in the report, and the data listings on microfiche.
  2. One sediment record found to be missing from the digital data file was added from Table B-3 in the GJBX-61(79) report.
  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.
  4. Two stream-sediment samples were collected at a latitude of exactly 46°N, the dividing line between the Ashland quadrangle and the Rice Lake quadrangle. The coordinates for these samples were changed slightly to values found in tables on microfiche within the Ashland Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-61(79) report. This slight change places these samples clearly in the Ashland quadrangle.
  5. The latitude and longitude coordinates for 1 stream-sediment sample collected within the Ashland quadrangle were not found in the data during the reformatting process. The record for this sample cannot be retrieved on a geographical basis.

Water Records

  1. Two separate well-water samples have the same latitude-longitude coordinates. It is unclear whether this represents two samples collected at the same site or two samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
  2. One well sample record had an invalid Sample Type (SAMPTYP) value of 81. Two other records were missing SAMPTYP values. This SAMPTYP values for these records were assigned based on site descriptive information found in the Ashland quadrangle report.

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).

Ashland Quadrangle Sediment Data - 374 records
Ashland Quadrangle Water Data - 312 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. (Note that two well water samples in the Ashland quadrangle were actually filtered in the field. These data may or may not be directly comparable to other well water data in the quadrangle.

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 +/- 365 feet (111 m) for latitude values and between +/- 259 feet (79 m) to +/- 235 feet (72 m) for longitude values (calculated at latitudes of 45° and 50°N, respectively.)


Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Ashland Quadrangle

Ashland Quadrangle NURE Summary
An additional evaluation of the Ashland quadrangle was conducted by Derry, Michener, and Booth (DMB) under subcontract to Bendix Field Engineering Corporation [PGJ/F-084(82)]. Totals of 165 lake sediment, 120 rock, 16 stream water, 359 stream sediment, and 184 ground water samples were collected within the boundaries of the Ashland quadrangle. All of these samples were analyzed by fluorometry for uranium. The lake sediments were also analyzed for As, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn, and V. These data were released only as appendices on microfiche accompanying the summary report. The results of this study suggest that there are no areas within the quadrangle that are favorable for uranium mineralization, although slightly anomalous radioactivity has been detected from aerial radiometric surveys of the area.


Ashland Quadrangle NURE Bibliography


Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Wisconsin NURE data
Back to Michigan NURE data
Back to Minnesota 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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