OFR 97-492: Brigham City 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 944 sediment and 104 water samples were collected in the Brigham City quadrangle in September - November, 1979 as part of the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) Brigham City 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 then sent to other laboratories for "supplemental analyses" for 23 elements in sediments and 31 elements in waters. The results were not released in an individual quadrangle report for Brigham City.

A total of 9 sediment samples from SRL were sent to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant and analyzed for uranium and up to 31 additional elements. These data were released on microfiche by Oak Ridge as an abbreviated quadrangle report (GJBX-61(82)). The site coding information for Brigham City quadrangle was summarized with several other western quadrangles in the Oak Ridge GJBX-51(82) 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 for the SRL samples from the Brigham City quadrangle. 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."

In October-December of 1979, 988 sediment, 86 water, and 391 rock samples were collected by Oak Ridge in Utah for the Thomas Range-Wasatch detailed geochemical survey. Three project areas were chosen to "characterize the hydrogeochemistry, stream sediment geochemistry, and/or radiometric patterns of known or potential uranium occurrences." These three areas were (1) the Thomas Range-Sheeprock Mountain project area within the Delta 1° x 2° quadrangle; (2) the Farmington project area covering parts of the Brigham City, Ogden, and Salt Lake City quadrangles; and (3) the Cottonwood project area within the Salt Lake City quadrangle. A total of 15 sediment, 4 water, and 9 rock samples were collected within the Brigham City quadrangle. The radiometric readings of rock samples were done in the field using scintillometers and a gamma-ray spectrometer. The sediment and water samples were analyzed for multiple elements by Oak Ridge and the data were reported in the 3-volume Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study GJBX-238(80) report.

A list of geologic unit codes and explanations used for the Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study was obtained from Table 4 and Figure 3 in the each of the 3 volumes of the GJBX-238(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
QUD Quaternary Undivided
QAL Quaternary Alluvium
QTL Quaternary Talus, Colluvium and Landslide deposits
QFD Quaternary Fan deposits
QPG Quaternary Glacial deposits
QPGM Quaternary Glacial Moraine
QPLB Quaternary Lake Bonneville deposits
QTS Quaternary-Tertiary Valley Fill Sediments Undivided
TYG Pliocene-Miocene Granitic Rocks
TYA Pliocene-Miocene Acidic Volcanic Rocks
TOG Miocene-Oligocene Granitic Rocks
TOA Miocene-Oligocene Acidic Volcanic Rocks
TOI Miocene-Oligocene Intermediate Volcanic Rocks
TNT Tertiary Norwood Tuff
TAD Cretaceous-Tertiary Argenta Intrusive Complex Diorites
TLD Cretaceous-Tertiary Lamprophyre Dikes
TQM Cretaceous-Tertiary Quartz Monzonite
TKWE Cretaceous-Tertiary Wasatch, Evanston, and Echo Canyon Fms.
MTFU Triassic Undivided
PPC Permian Park City Fm.
PWQ Upper Pennsylvanian Weber Quartzite
PLSU Paleozoic Limestones Undivided
PRV Lower Pennsylvanian Round Valley Limestone
MLSU Mississippian Limestones Undivided
MDS Upper Mississippian Doughnut Fm.
MDL Upper Mississippian Deseret Limestone
MGL Lower Mississippian Gardison Limestone
SMF Middle Silurian Undivided
SOFU Silurian-Ordovician Undivided
OMF Middle Ordovician Undivided
CUF Upper Cambrian Undivided
CLS Upper and Middle Cambrian Limestones Undivided
CMF Middle Cambrian Undivided
COS Middle Ophir Fm.
CLF Lower Cambrian Undivided
CTQ Lower Cambrian Tintic Quartzite
>ZCGQ Lower Cambrian and Precambrian Geertsen Canyon Quartzite
ZHS Precambrian Z Undivided
ZMI Precambrian Z Mutual and Inkom Fms.
ZMF Precambrian Z Mutual Fm.
ZIF Precambrian Z Inkom Fm.
ZCC Precambrian Z Cady Canyon Fm.
ZKC Precambrian Z Kelly Canyon Fm.
ZMC Precambrian Z Maple Canyon Fm.
ZPC Precambrian Z Papose Creek and Perry Canyon Fm.
YMFT Precambrian Y or Z Mineral Fork Tillite
YBC Precambrian Y Big Cottonwood Fm.
YSU Precambrian Y Upper Sheeprock Group
YDP Precambrian Y Dutch Peak Tillite
YSL Precambrian Y Lower Sheeprock Group
XLW Precambrian X Little Willow Fm.
XFC Precambrian X Facer Creek Fm.
WFCC Precambrian W Undivided
WFQM Precambrian W Quartz Monzonite Gneiss
WFM Precambrian W Migmatite
WFP Precambrian W Pegmatite
WFMS Precambrian W Mica Schist
WFS Precambrian W Schist and Gneiss
WFSQ Precambrian Schist, Gneiss, and Quartzite
WFA Precambrian W Amphibolite
WFQ Precambrian W Quartzite

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 89 of the Brigham City 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.

The following is a general listing of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Brigham City 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 Brigham City quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 19 Streams 11
Dry Streams 56 Wells 25
Soils 806 Springs 72
Talus 71
Other (may include mine tailings) 7
Total Sediments 959 Total Waters 108

These Brigham City 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. The site information for every record in the GJBX-61(82) quadrangle report was checked against the "equivalent" record in the GJBX-132(82) western U.S. summary report and any major differences were noted in the REFORMAT comment field.

For the sediment data file, the SRL analyses and the supplemental analyses were combined into a single record for each sample. Unfortunately, in 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. Occasionally, an additional supplemental analysis record may also exist for some samples.

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.

Data from the rock samples were placed in a separate data file. A partial description of fields unique to this file is given below in the Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study rock data format. Analyses for phosphate in water were also found in the Detailed Study data. This information can be found in another separate file and a partial description of fields unique to this file is given below in the Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study extra water 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).

Brigham City Quadrangle Sediment Data - 967 records
Brigham City Quadrangle Water Data - 157 records
Under Construction Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study Rock Data - brigct_r.dbf.gz
Under Construction Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study Extra Water Data - thomaswx.dbf.gz



Notes for Data Users

The ORGDP Thomas Range-Wasatch 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 LASL water samples which have a different SAMPTYP. Since this was the standard procedure for Oak Ridge, water data from other Oak Ridge quadrangles should be comparable.

Latitude-longitude coordinates were reported in the original Thomas Range-Wasatch 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 +/- 365 feet (111 m) for latitude values and between +/- 280 feet (85 m) to +/- 259 feet (79 m) for longitude values (calculated at latitudes of 40° and 45°N, respectively.)

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



Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Brigham City Quadrangle

Prior to June, 1980, 879 rock samples were collected by Research Associates of Wyoming for the Uinta Arch Project [GJBX-170(80)]. A total of 9 of the samples were located in the Brigham City quadrangle. The purpose of the project was "to assess the favorability of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks in northern Utah for deposits of uranium in Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates." Radiometric readings were taken for each sample and 381 were analyzed for uranium and 27 other elements. These data were released only as tables accompanying the report.



Brigham City Quadrangle NURE Bibliography



Thomas Range-Wasatch 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.

SO4_PPM (N)

Sulfate, reported in parts per million (ppm). Determined in the field with an unidentified method.

Thomas Range-Wasatch Detailed Study Extra Water 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.

PO4BATCH (A5)

ORGDP analytical batch number for phosphate analyses.

PO4_PPB (N)

Phosphate, reported in parts per billion (ppm). Determined by ORGDP with an unidentified method.



Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Utah NURE data
Back to Idaho 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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