OFR 97-492: Boston Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
Massachusetts
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 1,331 stream-sediment, 1,302 surface-water, and 657 ground-water samples from Massachusetts as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the entire state between August 1977 and April 1979 for sediments, and between January and March of 1978 for ground waters. This area included portions of the Albany, Boston, and Providence 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The samples were sent to SRL for determinations of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters) by Neutron Activation Analysis. SRL was able to analyze 1,315 sediments and 1,953 waters from Massachusetts. The analytical and site location data for all Massachusetts samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. A total of 509 stream-sediment, 491 surface-water, and 208 ground-water samples were collected within the Massachusetts portion of the Boston quadrangle. SRL was able to analyze 507 sediment and 694 water samples from the Massachusetts portion of the Boston quadrangle.
SRL sent 1,149 sediment samples from Massachusetts to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 1,141 of these samples in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 491 Massachusetts sediment samples from the Boston quadrangle.
New Hampshire
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 1,699 stream-sediment, 1,694 surface-water, and 884 ground-water samples from New Hampshire as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the entire state between July 1977 and January 1978. This area included portions of the Albany, Boston, Glens Falls, Lake Champlain, Lewiston, Portland, and Sherbrooke 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The samples were sent to SRL for determinations of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters) by Neutron Activation Analysis. SRL was able to analyze 1,696 sediments and 2,576 waters from New Hampshire. The analytical and site location data for all New Hampshire samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. A total of 176 stream-sediment, 173 surface-water, and 94 ground-water samples were collected within the New Hampshire portion of the Boston quadrangle. SRL was able to analyze all of the New Hampshire sediment and water samples from the Boston quadrangle.
SRL sent the 1,699 sediment samples from New Hampshire to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 1,690 of these samples in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 176 sediment samples from New Hampshire within the Boston quadrangle.
Rhode Island
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 81 stream-sediment, 81 surface-water, and 77 ground-water samples from Rhode Island as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the entire state during October and November of 1977 for stream sediments and waters and during March, 1978, for ground waters. This area included portions of the Boston and Providence 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The samples were sent to SRL for determinations of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters) by Neutron Activation Analysis. SRL was able to analyze all of the sediments and 157 waters from Rhode Island. The analytical and site location data for all Rhode Island samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. Only three ground-water samples and no stream-sediment or surface-water samples were collected within the Rhode Island portion of the Boston quadrangle. SRL was able to analyze all of the Rhode Island ground water samples from the Boston quadrangle.
SRL sent 80 sediment samples from Rhode Island to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 74 of these samples in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report does not include any Supplemental Analyses for Rhode Island sediment samples from the Boston quadrangle.
Connecticut
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 635 stream-sediment, 656 surface-water, and 798 ground-water samples from Connecticut as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the entire state between July and October, 1977 for sediments, and between December 1977 and February 1978 for ground-waters. This area included portions of the Albany, Boston, Hartford, and Providence 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The samples were sent to SRL for determinations of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters) by Neutron Activation Analysis. SRL was able to analyze 634 sediments and 1,453 waters from Connecticut. The analytical and site location data for all Connecticut samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. A total of 3 stream-sediment, 3 surface-water, and 2 ground-water samples were collected within the Connecticut portion of the Boston quadrangle. SRL was able to analyze all Connecticut sediment and water samples from the Boston quadrangle.
SRL sent the 635 sediment samples from Connecticut to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 632 of these samples in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 3 Connecticut sediment samples within the Boston quadrangle.
SRL: Boston Quadrangle
SRL released a separate quadrangle report for the Boston NTMS quadrangle, which includes data for 669 stream-sediment, 650 surface-water, and 303 ground-water samples. With some differences, these sample data are the same as that for corresponding samples found in the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut State reports. SRL released the analytical data as the Boston Quadrangle GJBX-255(80) Data Release. The site coding information for this data set is summarized within the text of this report.
SRL released a separate report for supplemental analyses of 664 sediment samples from the Boston quadrangle. Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 19 elements were reported for 660 of these samples in the Boston NTMS Area, Supplemental Data Report [GJBX-72(81)]. With some differences, these sample data are the same as the Supplemental Analyses for corresponding samples found in the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut State reports.
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 Boston quadrangle samples.
Laboratory Analysis | Sediments | Waters |
---|---|---|
Only SRL | 21 | 969 |
Both SRL and Supplemental Labs | 663 | 0 |
Supplemental Lab only | 2 | 0 |
Second SRL analysis | 4 | 0 |
None | 2 | 5 |
Total Samples | 688 | 974 |
Total Data Records | 692 | 974 |
The following is a list of all sediment and water sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Boston quadrangle.
Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
---|---|---|---|
Wet Streams | 688 | Streams | 667 |
Wells | 299 | ||
Springs | 8 | ||
Total Sediments | 688 | Total Waters | 974 |
These Boston quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
Water Samples
Sediment Records
The Boston quadrangle sediment data consist of reformatted records from the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut portions of the New England GJBX-107(82) Data Report. These records were compared with corresponding records from the SRL Boston Quadrangle GJBX-255(80) Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Boston quadrangle sediment data:
Water Records
The Boston quadrangle water data consist primarily of reformatted records from the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut portions of the New England GJBX-107(82) Data Report. These records were compared with corresponding records from the SRL Boston Quadrangle GJBX-255(80) Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Boston quadrangle water 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).
Boston Quadrangle Sediment Data - 692 records
Boston Quadrangle Water Data - 973 records
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 Boston quadrangle is almost complete and includes samples from Windham County, Connecticut; Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Worcester Counties, Massachusetts; Cheshire, Hillsborough, and Rockingham Counties, New Hampshire; and Providence County, Rhode Island. The Boston urban area was not sampled. The sample density of ground water sites is approximately half that of surface water and stream sediment sites. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverage.
Two sediment and five water samples collected within the Boston quadrangle were not analyzed by any of the various laboratories. The following table summarizes the locations of those unanalyzed samples.
State | County | Sample Media | Unanalyzed Samples | Total Samples |
---|---|---|---|---|
Massachusetts | Essex | Water | 2 | 83 |
Massachusetts | Norfolk | Sediment | 1 | 64 |
Massachusetts | Norfolk | Water | 1 | 79 |
Massachusetts | Worcester | Sediment | 1 | 193 |
Massachusetts | Worcester | Water | 2 | 269 |
Geology and Mineral Resources Study
A summary of the geology and mineral resources of the Baltimore, Boston, Lake Champlain, and Providence quadrangles prepared for the Savannah River Laboratory can be found in the GJBX-8(83) report. No geochemical data accompany this report.
North America and Africa Plutonic Rocks Special Study
The SRL in contract with the Department of Geology of the University of North Carolina conducted a special study to investigate the association of uranium deposits with granitic source or host rocks. The analytical results from 441 samples of 92 plutons were released in the North America and Africa Plutonic Rocks Special Study GJBX-221(82) report. See the North America and Africa Plutonic Rocks Special Study for the data and a more detailed description of this study. Plutons that were apparently sampled in the Boston quadrangle include the Blue Hills Porphyry (9 samples); Blue Hills Aporhyolite (6); Cape Ann (4); and Quincy (6).
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Home Page: USGS National Geochemical Database - NURE HSSR data
Page written by Steven M. Smith.
Contact: Steven M. Smith (smsmith@usgs.gov)
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006
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