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LASL: Gallup Quadrangle
Totals of 1,403 sediment and 516 water samples were collected from 1,856 locations within the Gallup quadrangle as part of the LASL Gallup Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. Private subcontractors, under the direction of LASL, collected samples from the quadrangle during May - July of 1976, September of 1977, August - October of 1978, and October of 1979. Sediment samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium and up to 42 additional elements. Water samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium only. The analytical data were released as the LASL Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report.

LASL: Grants Special Study
During October and November of 1979, LASL conducted a detailed geochemical survey of the Grants Uranium Mineral District within parts of the Albuquerque and Gallup quadrangles. Totals of 3,569 sediment and 167 water samples were collected from 2,601 locations within the study area. Of these, 1,981 sediment and 74 water samples were collected within the Gallup quadrangle. At 183 locations (111 in the Gallup quadrangle), specially collected sediment samples were sieved into 5 different size fractions to investigate the mineralogical distribution of uranium in sediments. The detailed survey sediment samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium and up to 42 additional elements. Water samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium only. The analytical data were released as the LASL Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report.

Summary Tables
The following is a list of sample types collected for all studies within the Gallup quadrangle study. This table includes each of the 5 multiple sieve fractions at 111 dry stream locations as found in the data.

These Gallup 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.
• LA2: Los Alamos Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of sediments for Ag, Bi, Cd, Cu, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sn, and W.
• 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. (Special Study only).
• LA4: Los Alamos Arc-Source Emission Spectrography Analysis of sediments for Be and Li.
• 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 Gallup Quadrangle

The Gallup quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report plus reformatted records from the Gallup portion of the Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison, combining, and reformatting stages for the Gallup quadrangle data:

1. 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.
2. A LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Gallup quadrangle sediment samples. The 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field and the corresponding 6-digit site number was manually added to the SITE field. Therefore, the LASLID field contains the Identification Number found in the LASL Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers.
3. No LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Grants Special Study 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 the Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report.
4. Several of the sediment samples from the Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report were used and reported again in the Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report. Because there were no overlapping data fields, the corresponding records from the two reports were compared and combined into a single composite record for each sample. The 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number found in the Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report was added to the LASLID field, and the 6-digit LASL Identification Number from the Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report was placed in the SITE field.
5. Seventeen sediment samples collected for the Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study were apparently partially reanalyzed as part of the Grants Special Study. Because of overlapping data fields, it was necessary to create two data records (one with the Gallup Quadrangle analytical data and one with the Grants Special Study data) for each sample to preserve all the data. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies each of these records.
6. When combining corresponding sediment records from the Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) and Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) reports, differences in latitude(LAT) and longitude(LONG) coordinates were found for 49 sediment samples. These differences appear to be due to corrections added to the later Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report. Therefore when differences were found, the value from the Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report was retained in the field and the differing value from the Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report was added as a comment to the COORDPRB field.
7. Unlikely sample collection dates were found for twelve samples. These dates were removed from the SAMPDAT field. For each record, the original SAMPDAT value and the most likely correct value was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
8. Two hundred and sixty-two sediment records with a STATE value of 'AZ' had coordinates that plotted in New Mexico. These STATE values were changed and a comment was added to the REFORMAT field for each record.
9. Four 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.
10. One stream-sediment sample has a longitude of exactly 108°W, the dividing line between the Gallup quadrangle and the Albuquerque quadrangle. This coordinate value was not changed but a comment was added to the COORDPRB field.
11. Eighteen sediment samples in this quadrangle share the same latitude-longitude coordinates with one other sample (9 distinct coordinate sites). These appear to be sites collected during Gallup quadrangle study that were resampled during the Grants Special Study. A comment in the COORDPRB field identifies each of these pairs.

1. A LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Gallup quadrangle water samples. The 1-letter+5-digit LASL Identification Number was saved in the LASLID field and the corresponding 6-digit site number was manually added to the SITE field. Therefore, the LASLID field contains the Identification Number found in the LASL Gallup Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-186(80) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers.
2. No LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Grants Special Study 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 the Grants Special Study GJBX-351(81) report.
3. An unlikely sample collection date was found for one sample. This date was removed from the SAMPDAT field and the original SAMPDAT value with the most likely correct value was added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
4. Seventy-six water records with a STATE value of 'AZ' had coordinates that plotted in New Mexico. These STATE values were changed and a comment was added to the REFORMAT field for each record.
5. Twenty-four water samples in this quadrangle share the same latitude-longitude coordinates with one other sample (12 distinct coordinate sites). These appear to be sites collected during Gallup quadrangle study that were resampled during the Grants Special Study. A comment in the COORDPRB field identifies each of these pairs.

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).

Gallup Quadrangle Sediment Data - 3,378 records
Gallup Quadrangle Water Data - 590 records

Notes for Data Users

The data in the sediment database includes samples collected by 8 different methods with respect to sieve sizes. (See the SAMPTYP coding explanation in the On-Line Manual for USGS-Reformatted NURE HSSR Data Files for descriptions of different Sample Types.) Analytical data may not be directly comparable for sediment samples collected by different methods.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Gallup Quadrangle

Gallup Quadrangle NURE Summary
A summary evaluation report was prepared for the Gallup quadrangle by the U.S. Geological Survey [PGJ/F-013(82)]. As part of this evaluation process, an additional 186 rock samples were collected and analyzed for uranium and up to 43 additional elements. These analytical data were released only as appendices on microfiche accompanying the summary report.

Gallup Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Green, M.W., Byers, V.P., Condon, S.M., Huffman, A.C., Jr., Kirk, A.R., Lupe, R.D., Pierson, C.T., Ridgley, J.L., Robertson, J.F., Sikkink, P.G., Spirakis, C.S., Thaden, R.E., Wenrich-Verbeek, K.J., and Zech, R.S., 1982, National Uranium Resource Evaluation, Gallup quadrangle, Arizona and New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., PGJ/F-013(82), 73 p.
• Maassen, L.W., Delfe, C.M., Trujillo, D., Minor, M.M., Gallimore, D.L., Martell, C.J., Martinez, R.G., and McInteer, C., 1980, Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance for the Gallup NTMS quadrangle, New Mexico/Arizona, including concentrations of forty-two additional elements: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-8002-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-186(80), 164 p.
• Purson, J.D., George, W.E., Hansel, J.M., Garcia, S.R., Hensley, W.K., and Mills, C.F., 1981, Detailed uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance data release for the Grants special study area, New Mexico, including concentrations of forty-three additional elements: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-8480-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-351(81), 311 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to New Mexico NURE data
Back to Arizona 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_gallup.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:12 EDT 2016