OFR 97-492: Roanoke Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
About USGS / Science Topics / Maps, Products & Publications / Education / Publication: FAQ |
>> Pubs Warehouse > OF 97-492 > State Coverage > Roanoke Quadrangle
[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
Virginia
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 5,667 stream-sediment, 2,598 surface-water, and 4,834 ground-water samples within 96 counties from Virginia as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The sediment samples were collected during July - October 1976; August - September 1977; and April - November 1978, and water samples were collected during December 1976 - September 1977; April - October 1978; and June - August 1979. Sample coverage included portions of the Baltimore, Bluefield, Charlottesville, Chincoteague, Cumberland, Currituck Sound, Greensboro, Jenkins, Johnson City, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Salisbury, Washington, and Winston-Salem 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. (A total of 1,234 stream-sediment, 1,044 surface-water, and 775 ground-water samples were collected within the Roanoke 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 5,522 sediments and 7,416 waters from Virginia; this includes 1,234 sediment and 1,815 water samples from the Roanoke quadrangle. The analytical and site location data for all Virginia samples were released in the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia Data Report [GJBX-103(82)].
SRL sent 2,719 sediment samples from Virginia to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 2,711 of these samples in the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia Data Report [GJBX-103(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 963 Virginia sediment samples within the Roanoke quadrangle.
SRL: Roanoke Quadrangle
SRL released a separate quadrangle report for the Roanoke NTMS quadrangle, which includes data for 1,235 stream-sediment, 1,044 surface-water, and 766 ground-water samples. With minor differences, these sample data are the same as the that for corresponding samples found in the Virginia State report. SRL released the analytical data as the Roanoke Quadrangle GJBX-73(81) Abbreviated Data Report. The site coding information for this data set is summarized within the text of this 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 Roanoke quadrangle samples.
Laboratory Analysis | Sediments | Waters |
---|---|---|
Only SRL | 270 | 1,815 |
Both SRL and Supplemental Labs | 964 | 0 |
Second SRL analysis on sample | 1 | 0 |
None | 0 | 4 |
Total Samples | 1,234 | 1,819 |
Total Data Records | 1,235 | 1,819 |
The following is a list of all sediment and water sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Roanoke quadrangle.
Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
---|---|---|---|
Wet Streams | 1,234 | Streams | 1,044 |
Wells | 617 | ||
Springs | 158 | ||
Total Sediments | 1,234 | Total Waters | 1,819 |
These Roanoke quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
Water Samples
Sediment Records
The Roanoke quadrangle sediment data consist of reformatted records from the Roanoke Quadrangle GJBX-73(82) Data Report. These records were compared with corresponding sample records from the the Virginia portion of the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia [GJBX-103(82)] Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Roanoke quadrangle sediment data:
Water Records
The Roanoke quadrangle water data consist of reformatted records from the Roanoke Quadrangle GJBX-73(82) Data Report. These records were compared with corresponding sample records from the the Virginia portion of the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia [GJBX-103(82)] Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Roanoke quadrangle sediment 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).
Roanoke Quadrangle Sediment Data - 1,235 records
Roanoke Quadrangle Water Data - 1,819 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 Roanoke quadrangle is complete and includes samples from Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Craig, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Franklin, Goochland, Halifax, Louisa, Lunenburg, Nelson, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Roanoke, and Rockbridge Counties in Virginia. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverage.
Four water samples within the Roanoke 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia | Albemarle | Water | 1 | 71 |
Virginia | Appomattix | Water | 1 | 90 |
Virginia | Franklin | Water | 2 | 24 |
Dan River - Danville Triassic Basin Detailed Study
A surface geochemical reconnaissance survey was conducted by SRL in the Dan River - Danville Triassic Basin of north-central North Carolina and south central Virginia [GJBX-204(82)]. In 1979, SRL collected rock samples from 380 sites from the Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Roanoke NTMS quadrangles. Sedimentary rock samples were analyzed for uranium by Neutron Activation and for Al, Ce, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Lu, Mn, Na, Sc, Sm, Th, Ti, V, and Yb by an unspecified method. In addition, a detailed four-channel spectrometric survey was conducted over the Dan River-Danville Triassic Basin and the adjacent Piedmont. Data tables of analytical results are included within the report. No digital data files were available for reformatting.
Characteristics of the Southeastern Piedmont
Bendix Field Engineering Corporation released a report that contains stream-sediment, hydrogeochemical, and aeromagnetic data for 16 contiguous NTMS quadrangles in the eastern United States [GJBX-40(83)]. This compilation report is limited in scope to features that have specific interest to the geoscience community. Included in the report are aeromagnetic and geochemical maps, and tectonic and igneous rock distribution maps. When used together, these maps show geochemical, tectonic, and magnetic features unique to many of the geologic and physiographic provinces in the region. This report primarily covers the Southeastern Piedmont region and includes the Athens, Augusta, Bluefield, Charlotte, Florence, Georgetown, Greensboro, Greenville, Knoxville, Norfolk, Raleigh, Richmond, Roanoke, Rocky Mount, Spartanburg and Winston-Salem 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The color maps are in 35mm-slide format. No digital data files accompany this report.
North America and Africa Plutonic Rocks Special Study
The SRL in contract with the Department of Geology of the University of North Carolina conducted a special study to investigate the association of uranium deposits with granitic source or host rocks. The analytical results from 441 samples of 92 plutons were released in the North America and Africa Plutonic Rocks Special Study GJBX-221(82) report. See the North America and Africa Plutonic Rocks Special Study for the data and a more detailed description of this study. Plutons that were apparently sampled in the Roanoke quadrangle include the Hatcher (3 samples).
Back to Virginia NURE data
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning NURE Data
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 1.41: February 23, 2006
AccessibilityFOIAPrivacyPolicies and Notices | |