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LASL: Denver and Greeley Quadrangles
Totals of 984 sediment and 1,210 water samples were collected from 1,520 locations in the Greeley quadrangle during August and September 1976 as part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. The samples were analyzed for uranium content and the data were released in the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report.

LASL: Greeley Quadrangle
These same samples were later reanalyzed by multielement methods for up to 43 additional elements and the data were released in the Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) report.

Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study
A pilot geochemical study collected 267 sediment and 529 water samples from 264 locations in the Sterling and Greeley quadrangles during four distinct time periods between December 1976 and August 1977. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of seasonal variations upon the elemental concentrations, particularly uranium, in the samples. A total of 9 stream sediment samples from 8 locations and 87 water samples (2 stream and 85 well waters) from 27 locations were collected within the Greeley quadrangle. All of these samples were analyzed for uranium and other elements and the data were released in two reports: The Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study Phase 1 data GJBX-39(77) report and the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study final data GJBX-140(78) report.

Summary Tables
The following is a list of sample types collected for NURE studies in the Greeley quadrangle.

These Greeley 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. (Pilot Study samples only.)
• 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. (Quadrangle Study samples only.)
• LA4: Los Alamos Arc-Source Emission Spectrography Analysis of sediments for Be and Li. (Pilot Study - Phase 3 samples only.)
• 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.
• LA5-B: Los Alamos Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for Ag, Al, Au, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, Hg, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, V, Yb, and Zn. (Pilot Study - Phase 2 samples only.)

Water Samples

• LA6-DN: Los Alamos Delayed-Neutron Counting Analysis of waters for U.
• LA6-FL: Los Alamos Fluorometry Analysis of waters for U.
• LA7: Los Alamos Plasma-Source Emission Spectrography Analysis of waters for Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn. (Pilot Study - Phases 3 and 4 samples only.)
• LA7-A: Los Alamos Plasma-Source Emission Spectrography Analysis of waters for As, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Si, and Zn. (Pilot Study - Phase 1 samples only.)
• LA7-B: Los Alamos Plasma-Source Emission Spectrography Analysis of waters for As, B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, P, Si, and V. (Pilot Study - Phase 2 samples only.)
• LAF-H: Los Alamos Field Analysis (Hach Chem. Co. Kit, Model DR-EL/2) of waters for Ca, Cl, Mg, Ferrous Fe, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Alkalinity and Water Hardness.

Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Greeley Quadrangle

The Greeley quadrangle sediment and water data consist of records from the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report combined with records from the Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) report plus records from the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study final data GJBX-140(78) report. When combining sample records, site descriptive information and coordinates were compared for all corresponding records. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison, combining, and reformatting stages for the Greeley quadrangle data:

Sediment Records

1. There were no digital data files available for the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study. All of the sediment records were manually entered from the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study final data GJBX-140(78) report.
2. For 51 sediment samples, the Phase 2, 3, and 4 Pilot Study samples were analyzed by 2 multielement methods (LA2 and LA5-B) that both reported data for silver (Ag) and copper (Cu). During the reformatting process it was noted that concentrations of these elements all fell below analytical detection limits for at least one of the two multielement methods: All Ag by LA5-A was <5 ppm; and all Cu by LA5-A was <130 ppm. Rather than creating 2 separate records to hold overlapping data fields, it was decided to save the non-varying values for these elements as a comment in the REFORMAT field. One of these samples was in the Greeley quadrangle.
3. 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.
4. The correlation of the two LASL Identification Numbers for samples in the Greeley quadrangle was first solved by comparing records from the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report with those from the Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) report. Later a LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Greeley quadrangle sediment samples and the values were confirmed. 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 Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers and reported in the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report.
5. When combining corresponding records from the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) and Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) reports, it was found that the reported concentrations of uranium were often slightly different. Rather than discarding one of the values in the combined records, the concentration of uranium (analyzed by delayed neutron activation analysis) from the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report was added to the extra uranium field (U_XX_PPM).
6. One sediment record that had a STATE value of 'CO' had coordinates that plotted in Wyoming. This STATE value was changed and a comment was added to the REFORMAT field.
7. Unlikely sample collection dates were found for two 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. One sample record contained an invalid value for the scintillometer measurement (SCIN) of -86. Although the most likely source of this error is an unwanted negative sign, this could not be confirmed in published sources. This value was removed from the SCIN field and added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
9. Two sediment sample records contained an invalid value in the stream channel character (STRCHANL) or rock type (ROCKTYP) fields. These values were likely miscoded or entered incorrectly. The correct values were not found. These values were removed from the respective fields and added as a comment to the REFORMAT field for each affected record.
10. Four sediment samples in this quadrangle share the same latitude-longitude coordinates with one other samples (2 distinct coordinate sites). One of these represents samples collected at the same site at different times as part of the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study. The other site appears to be a Greeley quadrangle NURE HSSR site that was resampled during the Pilot Study.

Water Records

1. There were no digital data files available for the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study. All of the water records were manually entered from the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study final data GJBX-140(78) report.
2. During the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study, several field analyses of water were completed that were not common to LASL NURE HSSR studies. These field analyses included determinations of Ca, Cl, Mg, Ferrous Fe, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Alkalinity and Water Hardness. When manually entering records from the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study final data GJBX-140(78) report, values for all field analyzed constituents were added to the REFORMAT comment field and, when appropriate, to a regular USGS-Reformatted NURE HSSR water data field.
3. The correlation of the two LASL Identification Numbers for samples in the Greeley quadrangle was first solved by comparing records from the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report with those from the Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) report. Later a LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Greeley quadrangle water samples and the values were confirmed. 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 Greeley Quadrangle NURE Multielement HSSR study GJBX-265(81) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers and reported in the Denver and Greeley Quadrangles NURE Uranium HSSR study GJBX-60(78) report.
4. One water record that had a STATE value of 'CO' had coordinates that plotted in Wyoming. This STATE value was changed and a comment was added to the REFORMAT field.
5. Unlikely sample collection dates were found for two 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.
6. Ninety water samples in this quadrangle share the same latitude-longitude coordinates with up to four other samples (28 distinct coordinate sites). Many of these represent replicate samples or samples collected at the same sites at different times as part of the Sterling and Greeley Quadrangles Pilot Study. During the Pilot Study some of the Denver and Greeley quadrangles sites were apparently resampled again.

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).

Greeley Quadrangle Sediment Data - 993 records
Greeley Quadrangle Water Data - 1,297 records

Notes for Data Users

None at this time.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Greeley Quadrangle

Greeley Quadrangle NURE Summary
The U.S. Geological Survey released a report [PGJ/F-079(82)] on the Greeley quadrangle to "identify and delineate areas and geologic units that exhibit characteristics favorable for the occurrence of uranium." During this study, an additional 719 rock, 132 88-micron (-170 mesh) stream-sediment, 299 ground-water, and 34 stream-water samples were collected and analyzed for uranium and other elements. The multielement analytical data for these additional samples were released only on microfiche as appendices to the summary report.

Uranium Anomalies in Wyoming
The Bendix Field Engineering Corporation identified and ranked 269 uranium anomalies from 23 quadrangles in and adjacent to Wyoming. These anomalies were based on an evaluation of the NURE HSSR data, Aerial radiometric reconnaissance surveys, and to a lesser extent, geologic evaluations. This report [GJBX-3(83)] lists 24 uranium anomalies that were identified in the Greeley quadrangle. No additional geochemical data accompany this report.

Greeley Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Bolivar, S.L., Broxton, D.E., and Olsen, C.E., 1978, Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Denver and Greeley NTMS quadrangles, Colorado: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-7177-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-60(78), 138 p.
• Goodknight, C.S., Ludlam, J.R., Burger, J.A., Dickson, R.E., Dayvault, R.D., Dexter, J.J., and Anderson, J.R., 1982, Uranium anomalies in Wyoming and parts of adjacent states: U.S. Department of Energy, Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-3(83), 11 p.
• Hills, F.A., Dodge, H.W., Jr., Nash, J.T., and Granger, H.C., 1982, National Uranium Resource Evaluation, Greeley quadrangle, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., PGJ/F-079(82), 64 p.
• Maxwell, J.C., 1977, Raw data report of elemental analyses from hydrogeochemical and stream sediment samples taken near Sterling and Fort Morgan, northeastern Colorado, December 1976 and January 1977: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-6740-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-39(77), 27 p.
• Nunes, H.P., 1978, NURE hydrogeochemical and stream sediment data release for pilot study samples from portions of the Sterling and Greeley NTMS quadrangles, Colorado: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-7145-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-140(78), 106 p.
• Youngquist, C.A., D'Andrea, R.F., Jr., Zinkl, R.J., Shettel, D.L., Jr., Langfeldt, S.L., Hensley, W.K., Thomas, G.J., Martell, C.J., and Maassen, L.W., 1981, Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Greeley NTMS quadrangle, Colorado: U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-265(81), 144 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

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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_greely.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:12 EDT 2016