OFR 97-492: Gadsden Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
Alabama
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 4,499 stream-sediment, 1,486 surface-water, and 6,204 ground-water samples within 53 counties from the northern two-thirds of Alabama as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The sediment samples were collected during June - December, 1976 and March 1978 - January 1979, and water samples were collected during January - September, 1977 and December 1977 - March 1979. Sample coverage included portions of the Andalusia, Atlanta, Birmingham, Blytheville, Dothan, Gadsden, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Montgomery, Phenix City, Rome, Tupelo, and West Point 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (A total of 768 stream-sediment, 675 surface-water, and 1,412 ground-water samples were collected within the Gadsden quadrangle.) These samples were sent to SRL for analysis of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters). SRL was able to analyze 4,489 sediments and 7,677 waters from Alabama; this includes 767 sediment and 2,083 water samples from the Gadsden quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Alabama samples were released in the Alabama and Georgia Data Report [GJBX-403(81)].
SRL sent 1,476 sediment samples from Alabama to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 1,471 of these samples in the Alabama and Georgia Data Report [GJBX-403(81)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 234 Alabama sediment samples within the Gadsden quadrangle.
Tennessee
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 3,309 stream-sediment, 1,584 surface-water, and 3,574 ground-water samples within 58 counties from the eastern half and the northwestern corner of Tennessee as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The samples were collected during June - December, 1976 and March - November, 1978 and included portions of the Blytheville, Chattanooga, Columbia, Corbin, Dyersburg, Gadsden, Johnson City, Knoxville, Nashville, Rome, and Winston-Salem 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (Only 1 surface-water and 2 stream-sediment samples were collected within the Gadsden quadrangle.) These samples were sent to SRL for analysis of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters). SRL was able to analyze 2,450 sediments and 5,149 waters from Tennessee; this includes none of the sediment samples and the one water sample from the Gadsden quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Tennessee samples were released in the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio Data Report [GJBX-105(82)].
SRL sent 248 sediment samples from Tennessee to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 247 of these samples in the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio Data Report [GJBX-105(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report does not include Supplemental Analyses for any Tennessee sediment samples within the Gadsden quadrangle.
SRL: Gadsden and Tupelo Quadrangles
Occasionally, SRL released abbreviated reports for quadrangles under their responsibility. These reports include neutron activation analyses done at SRL. An abbreviated report was released for the Gadsden and Tupelo quadrangles [GJBX-213(81)]. Data tables with analyses are included within the microfiche accompanying this report. Data found in this report appear to be the same data as that found in the state digital data-file. No separate digital data file accompanies this report.
ORGDP: Chattanooga, Columbia, Gadsden, and Rome Quadrangles
SRL sent several Tennessee sediment samples to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for analysis of uranium and 31 additional elements. ORGDP released the analytical data for 251 samples in the Chattanooga, Columbia, Gadsden, and Rome Quadrangles GJBX-74(82) Data Report. This report includes data for 2 sediment samples from the Gadsden quadrangle. The site coding information for this data set was summarized in the GJBX-51(82) report.
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 Gadsden quadrangle samples.
Laboratory Analysis | Sediments | Waters |
---|---|---|
Only SRL | 532 | 2,084 |
Only ORGDP | 2 | 0 |
Only Supplemental Lab | 1 | 0 |
Both SRL and ORGDP | 0 | 0 |
Both SRL and Supplemental Labs | 234 | 0 |
None | 1 | 4 |
Total Samples | 770 | 2,088 |
Total Data Records | 770 | 2,088 |
The following is a list of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Gadsden quadrangle.
Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
---|---|---|---|
Wet Streams | 770 | Streams | 675 |
Wells | 1,229 | ||
Springs | 183 | ||
Total Sediments | 770 | Total Waters | 2,088 |
These Gadsden quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
Water Samples
Sediment Records
The Gadsden quadrangle sediment data consist of records from the Alabama portion of the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report combined with Supplemental Analyses from the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] Data Report and then combined with records from the ORGDP Chattanooga, Columbia, Gadsden, and Rome Quadrangles GJBX-74(82) Data Report. In addition, reformatted Gadsden quadrangle records from the Tennessee portion of the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio [GJBX-105(82)] Data Report were added to this file. Site descriptive information and coordinates were compared for all corresponding records. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Gadsden Quadrangle sediment data:
Water Records
The Gadsden quadrangle water data consist of reformatted records from the Alabama portion of the Alabama and Georgia [GJBX-403(81)] plus reformatted records from the Tennessee portion of the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio [GJBX-105(82)] Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Gadsden 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).
Gadsden Quadrangle Sediment Data - 768 records
Gadsden Quadrangle Water Data - 2,085 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 Gadsden quadrangle is complete and includes samples from Blount, Colbert, Cullman, De Kalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston Counties in Alabama; and Franklin County in Tennessee. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverages.
One sediment and four water samples within the Gadsden 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Blount | Sediment | 1 | 30 |
Alabama | Blount | Water | 2 | 85 |
Alabama | Limestone | Water | 1 | 181 |
Alabama | Unspecified (ALZZ) | Water | 1 | 1 |
Geology and Mineral Resources Study
A report on the geology and mineral resources of the Birmingham, Gadsden, and Montgomery quadrangles was prepared for the Savannah River Laboratory (GJBX-78(79)). No geochemical data accompany this report.
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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 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006
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