El Paso Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study

OFR 97-492: El Paso 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.]

LASL: El Paso Quadrangle
Totals of 281 sediment and 103 water samples were collected within the El Paso 2° quadrangle as part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) El Paso Quadrangle Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Within the quadrangle, sampling of the area west of 107.5°W longitude was conducted between January and June of 1976; sampling in the area east from 107.25°W to 106.5°W longitude was conducted between May and June of 1977; and the overlapping area was sampled during both field seasons. Most of the samples were collected in New Mexico. The only samples collected in the Texas part of the quadrangle were in the area that is west of 106.5°W longitude. LASL analyzed all of the samples for uranium and the sediment samples for up to 43 additional elements, The analytical data were released on microfiche by Bendix Field Engineering Corporation as the El Paso Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-125(82) report.

LASL: Eastern Quarter of the El Paso Quadrangle
In 1977, the entire NURE HSSR program changed from a study area basis (State, County, or geomorphic provinces) to a 1° x 2° quadrangle basis. As a result of this decision, the responsibility for the Texas portion of the El Paso quadrangle was reassigned to the LASL. According to the last LASL NURE progress report [GJBX-5(80)], this area was scheduled to be sampled during 1980. Apparently though, no samples for this Texas area were subsequently collected or analyzed by LASL before the NURE program ended.

Summary Tables
The following is a list of the NURE sample types reported for the El Paso quadrangle study.

*Summary of El Paso quadrangle sample types.*
Sediment Sample Type	Number of Samples	Water Sample Type	Number of Samples
Dry Streams	171	Wells	92
Wet Natural Ponds	1	Artificial Ponds	11
Dry Natural Ponds	83
Wet Artificial Ponds	11
Dry Artificial Ponds	15
Total Sediments	281	Total Waters	103

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

Sediment Samples

LA1: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of sediments for U.
LA3: Los Alamos Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of sediments for Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Nb, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, W, and Zr.
LA5: Los Alamos Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for Al, Au, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, V, Yb, and Zn.

Water Samples

LA6-DN: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of waters for U.
LA6-FL: Los Alamos Fluorometry Analysis of waters for U.

Discussion of the Reformatting Process for El Paso Quadrangle

The El Paso quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the El Paso Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-125(82) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the El Paso quadrangle data:

Sediment Records

During the NURE sample collection phase, LASL sites and samples were initially assigned a 6-digit integer Identification Number (LASLID) starting with 000001. After 1977, most LASL sites were reassigned a new 1-letter+5-digit Identification Number starting with A00001. All LASL samples and the early LASL reports use the 6-digit integer LASLID. Most of the later reports only use the 1-letter+5-digit LASLID. Although both sets of numbers were usually assigned sequentially, they do not correspond one to one with each other: 100001 does not equal C00001, etc. Whenever possible, the 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field. When the corresponding 6-digit site number could be determined from sample number translation key lists or other sources, this Identification Number was saved in the SITE field.
No LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the El Paso quadrangle sediment samples. The 6-digit LASL Identification Number found in LASLID was also added to the SITE field. Therefore, the value found in the LASLID and SITE fields is same LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers as well as the value published in El Paso Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-125(82) report.
Two sediment sample records contained values for the well pump type(WELLPUMP), well use(WELLUSE), or well diameter(WELLDIAM). These parameters were not normally recorded for sediment sample records. The values were removed from each record and added as a comment to the corresponding REFORMAT field.

Water Records

No LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the El Paso quadrangle water samples. The 6-digit LASL Identification Number found in LASLID was also added to the SITE field. Therefore, the value found in the LASLID and SITE fields is same LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers as well as the value published in El Paso Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-125(82) 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).

El Paso Quadrangle Sediment Data - 281 records
El Paso Quadrangle Water Data - 103 records

Notes for Data Users

None at this time.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the El Paso Quadrangle

None found.

El Paso Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

Hardy, L.C., D'Andrea, R.F., Jr., Zinkl, R.J., Shettel, Jr., Langfedlt, S.L., Hensley, W.K., Thomas, G.J., Martell, C.J., and Maassen, L.W., 1982, Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the El Paso NTMS quadrangle, New Mexico/Texas: Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-125(82), 70 p.
Morris, W.A., Bunker, M.E., Waterbury, G.R., and Waller, R.A., 1979, Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program; Semiannual progress report April-September 1979; Primarily for the Rocky Mountain states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana and the state of Alaska: U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-5(80), 11 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Texas NURE data
Back to New Mexico 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 1.41: February 23, 2006

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U.S. Department of the Interior \| U.S. Geological Survey URL: https://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/1997/ofr-97-0492/quad/q_elpaso.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:12 EST 2016

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)