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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)

This page is currently being rewritten to the Version 1.41 format.

Brief History and Description of Data

[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]

Totals of 2,386 sediment samples (from 1,195 locations) and 242 water samples were collected in the Nogales quadrangle between January and April of 1979 as part of the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) Nogales Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study. The water samples were analyzed by SRL for uranium and 9 other elements and then sent on to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for "supplemental analyses" (29 elements in waters). Two sediment fractions were collected at 1191 of the sediment sampling locations; the S1 fraction (<100 mesh) and the S0 fraction (>100 mesh and <18 mesh). The second fraction was presumably collected to avoid windblown dust contamination. SRL only analyzed 36 of the sediment samples (for uranium and 16 other elements), and subsequently did not release an individual quadrangle report for Nogales.

A total of 1,179 sediment samples from SRL were sent to the ORGDP and analyzed for uranium and up to 31 additional elements. These data were released on microfiche by Oak Ridge as an abbreviated quadrangle report (GJBX-65(82)). The site coding information for Nogales quadrangle was summarized with several other western quadrangles in the Oak Ridge GJBX-51(82) report.

In 1982, SRL released a summary report and data files for 50 quadrangles in the Western United States. For the Nogales quadrangle, this report (GJBX-132(82)) contains the SRL analytical data and "supplemental" analytical data for the water samples. The sediment sample records contain the analytical data for the 36 sediment samples analyzed by SRL, but only site description data for the remaining sediment samples.

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 220 of the Nogales quadrangle ground water samples.

The following is a general listing of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Nogales 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.

These Nogales quadrangle samples were analyzed one or more of the following methods:

Sediment Samples

• SR1: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of sediments for U.
• SR2: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for Al, Ce, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Lu, Mn, Na, Sc, Sm, Th, Ti, V, and Yb. (Note: Au values were reported later for this method.)
• OR2: Oak Ridge Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for U.
• OR7: Oak Ridge Emission Spectrochemical Analysis of sediments for Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Sc, Sr, Th, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr.

Water Samples

• SR4: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of waters for U.
• SR6: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of waters for Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, Mg, Mn, Na, and V.
• SR-HE: Savannah River Helium Analysis of waters.
• SR-GC: Savannah River Gas Chromatography of waters for light hydrocarbons.
• OR13: Supplemental Analyses by Oak Ridge Emission Spectrochemical Analysis of waters for Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Sc, Si, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr. (Note: Nb and Th may be included in this method.)
• OR17: Supplemental Analyses by Oak Ridge Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis of waters for As and Se.

Composition of the NEW-FORMAT NURE Data Files

The data in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files consist of records from all of the above reports. The site information for every record in the ORGDP GJBX-65(82) quadrangle report was checked against the "equivalent" record in the SRL GJBX-132(82) western U.S. summary report and any major differences were noted in the REFORMAT comment field.

In the sediment data file, the data for 19 samples that were analyzed by both SRL and ORGDP could NOT be combined into a single record for each sample because of overlapping determinations for 12 elements. In the water data file, the SRL analyses and supplemental analyses could NOT be combined because of overlapping determinations for 5 elements. Therefore each sample that has two sets of analyses has two separate records - one for the SRL analysis and one for the ORGDP or 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.

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 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).

Nogales Quadrangle Sediment Data - 2,405 records
Nogales Quadrangle Water Data - 483 records

Notes for Data Users

SRL collected separate samples for two fractions at 1191 of the sediment sampling locations. Samples with a suffix of "S0" on the SRLID consist of the fraction of sediment which passed a 18-mesh but did not pass a 100-mesh sieve. Samples with a suffix of "S1" on the SRLID consist of the fraction of sediment which passed a 100-mesh sieve. Due to fractionation of some elements between discretely sized sediment particles, analytical data may not be directly comparable for sediment samples with different sieve fractions.

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.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Nogales Quadrangle

A summary evaluation report was prepared for the Nogales quadrangle by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation of Grand Junction, Colorado [PGJ/F-130(82)]. Additional samples of 261 rocks were collected in the quadrangle to "identify environments and delineate areas favorable for the occurrence of uranium deposits." Of the samples, 19 were analyzed for uranium oxide, 204 were analyzed for eK, eU, and eTh, and 38 were analyzed for 15 other constituents. These data were released only as microfiche appendices and tables accompanying the summary report.

In 1978, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) conducted a study of the Papago Indian Reservation in the Nogales quadrangle. Results were reported in the GJBX-102(79) report. A total of 54 water samples were collected for this study. LLL participation in the NURE program ended before the study was completed, so no sediment samples were collected for the study. The water samples were analyzed by optical emission spectrography for 16 elements. These data were only released as tables accompanying the report.

Nogales Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Cook, J.R., and Fay, W.M., 1982, Data report: Western United States: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-146-28, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-132(82), 33 p.
• Dromgoole, E.L., 1982, Report of analyses for light hydrocarbons in ground water: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-141-19, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-131(82), 14 p.
• Higgins, G.H., 1979, Papago Indian Reservation water sample analyses: Lawrence Livermore Laboratory UCID-18187, University of California, Livermore, Calif., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-102(79), 19 p.
• Luning, R.H., and Brouillard, L.A., 1982, National Uranium Resource Evaluation, Nogales quadrangle, Arizona: Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., PGJ/F-130(82), 70 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1982, Supplement to hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data reports K/UR-405 and K/UR-408 through K/UR-443 [GJBX-52(82) through GJBX-88(82): Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-444, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-51(82), 25 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1982, Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Nogales quadrangle, Arizona: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-420, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-65(82), microfiche.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Arizona NURE data
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning NURE HSSR Data
Home Page: USGS National Geochemical Database - NURE HSSR data

Page written by Andrew W. Holt and Steven M. Smith
Contact: 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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