OFR 97-492: Challis Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
Totals of 1,468 sediment and 475 surface and ground water samples were collected in the Challis quadrangle between August and October of 1979 as part of the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) Challis 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 the analytical data for 1428 sediments and 437 waters were released in the GJBX-91(80) report. These samples were then sent to other laboratories for "supplemental analyses." The supplemental analytical data, with results for 23 elements in sediments and 31 elements in waters, were not released in a separate quadrangle report.
During August through September of 1980, an additional 43 sediment and 32 water samples were collected from a 15' x 15' area in the southeast part of the Challis quadrangle to complete the sample coverage for the study. These samples, as well as samples collected in the adjacent Hailey quadrangle, were sent to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant for analysis of uranium and up to 31 additional elements. Oak Ridge released the analytical data for 39 Challis sediment samples in the GJBX-55(82) report (microfiche only) and data for 32 water samples in the GJBX-172(82) report (microfiche only). The site coding information for these data sets was summarized with several other western quadrangles in the Oak Ridge GJBX-51(82) and GJBX-164(82) reports, respectively.
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 from the Challis quadrangle but the concentration values often differ slightly from those reported in the GJBX-91(80) quadrangle report. 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."
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 212 of the Challis 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 Challis 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.
| Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Streams | 230 | Streams | 248 |
| Dry Streams | 401 | Wells | 56 |
| Soils | 853 | Springs | 195 |
| Talus | 15 | Lakes | 3 |
| Hot Springs Sinter | 8 | Other | 5 |
| Other (may include mine tailings) | 4 | ||
| Total Sediments | 1,511 | Total Waters | 507 |
These Challis 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 all of the above reports. In order to reduce the number of records, a decision was made to primarily use the data from the GJBX-132(82) western U.S. summary report. The rationale for choosing this data set was that (1) it represents a later compilation of the data and (2) it should be more consistent across quadrangle boundaries because of the common "scrubbing procedure." Every record was checked against the "equivalent" record in the earlier GJBX-91(80), GJBX-55(82) and GJBX-172(82) quadrangle reports and any major differences were noted in the REFORMAT comment field. The slightly different but unused quadrangle report records were combined and saved as extra files which may be accessed below.
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.
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.
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).
Challis Quadrangle Sediment Data - 1,511 records
Challis Quadrangle Water Data - 990 records
Unused set of quadrangle sediment records - chalissx.dbf.gz
Unused set of quadrangle water records - chaliswx.dbf.gz
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.
A NURE summary evaluation report concerning potential uranium resources was prepared for the Challis quadrangle by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation [PGJ/F-042(82)]. As part of the evaluation, additional samples of 1,064 rocks, 5 soils, 492 stream sediments and 14 waters were collected or obtained from previous studies in the quadrangle. The sample sources include a dissertation study on the Idaho Batholith and USGS mineral resource studies in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area, the Idaho Primitive Area, and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Bibliographic references for these studies are given in the report. The samples were analyzed and multielement analytical data were released only as appendices on microfiche accompanying the summary report.
Challis Volcanics of the Basin Creek-Yankee Fork AreaThe University of Idaho Department of Geology, under contract with the Bendix Field Engineering Corp, studied the geology and uranium potential of the Challis Volcanics. As part of this study, 50 rock samples were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence for major element oxides. An additional 140 rock samples were also analyzed for 31 elements by semi-quantitative emission spectrography. These data are available only as published tables in the Challis Volcanics of the Basin Creek-Yankee Fork Area GJBX-33(79) report
Back to Idaho NURE data
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 1.10: 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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