OFR 97-492: Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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)
Brief History and Description of Data
[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
LASL: Thermopolis Quadrangle
Totals of 1,821 sediment and 920 water samples were collected from 1,977 locations in the Thermopolis quadrangle between 1968 and 1979 by four different groups as part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study.
- 1968 - 1969: 131 -80 mesh stream-sediment samples collected during USGS Wilderness studies (Granger and others, 1971; Antweiler and others, 1989).
- June, August - September, 1976: 272 sediment and 83 water samples collected by contractors in the northeast quarter of the quadrangle (excluding the Wind River Indian Reservation lands).
- June - July, 1977: 522 sediment and 410 water samples collected by contractors from the remainder of the quadrangle (excluding the Wind River Indian Reservation lands).
- September - October, 1979: 896 sediment and 427 water samples collected by contractors from the Wind River Indian Reservation.
All of the sediment samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium and up to 42 additional elements. The water samples were analyzed by LASL for uranium only. These data were released in the Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-188(80) report.
Summary Tables
The following is a list of NURE sample types collected for the Thermopolis quadrangle study.
Summary of Thermopolis quadrangle sample types.
| Wet Streams |
792 |
Streams |
663 |
| Dry Streams |
907 |
Wells |
137 |
| Wet Springs |
104 |
Springs |
120 |
| Dry Springs |
18 |
|
|
| Total Sediments |
1,821 |
Total Waters |
920 |
These Thermopolis 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.
- 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 Thermopolis Quadrangle
The Thermopolis quadrangle sediment and water data consist of reformatted records from the Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-188(80) report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Thermopolis quadrangle data:
Sediment Records
- 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.
- A LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Thermopolis 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 Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-188(80) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers.
- Records for 131 stream-sediment samples originally collected by the USGS as part of the Glacier Primitive Area (Granger and others, 1971) or the Teton Wilderness Study Area (Antweiler and others, 1989) are identified by a comment in the REFORMAT field.
- One dry stream-sediment sample record contained a value for the Well Pump Type(WELLPUMP). This parameter was not normally recorded for stream-sediment sample records. The value was removed from the record and added as a comment to the REFORMAT field.
- Two separate sediment samples in this quadrangle have the same latitude-longitude coordinates. It is unclear whether this represents a pair of samples collected at the same site or samples collected at separate sites so close together that the coordinate precision was insufficient to distinguish.
Water Records
- A LASL Identification Number translation key was found for the Thermopolis 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 Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE HSSR study GJBX-188(80) report. The SITE field contains the corresponding LASL Identification Number used to label the original field maps, field notes, and sample containers.
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).
Thermopolis Quadrangle Sediment Data - 1,821 records
Thermopolis Quadrangle Water Data - 920 records
Notes for Data Users
Sediment samples from the Thermopolis quadrangle were collected by two different methods with respect to sieving. Samples obtained from the USGS (identified with SAMPTYP 37) were sieved at -80 mesh. The remaining sediments were sieved at -100 mesh. (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 sieved to different fractions.
Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Thermopolis Quadrangle
Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE Summary
The Bendix Field Engineering Corporation produced a summary evaluation report for the Thermopolis quadrangle [PGJ/F-030(82)]. During this evaluation an additional 75 rock samples were collected and analyzed for uranium and other elements. An additional 71 USGS pulp samples (rock?) were obtained and analyzed only for uranium. These data were released only as appendices on microfiche accompanying 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 7 uranium anomalies that were identified in the Thermopolis quadrangle. No additional geochemical data accompany this report.
Thermopolis Quadrangle NURE Bibliography
- Antweiler, J.C., Love, J.D., Prostka, H.J., Kulik, D.M., Anderson, L.A., Williams, F.E., Jinks, J.E., and Light, T.D., 1989, Mineral resources of the Teton Wilderness and Adjacent Areas, Teton, Fremont, and Park Counties, Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1781, 105 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.
- Granger, H.C., McKay, E.J., Mattick, R.E., Patten, L.L., and McIlroy, 1971, Mineral resources of the Glacier Primitive Area, Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1219-F, 113 p.
- Hesse, K.K., 1982, National Uranium Resource Evaluation, Thermopolis quadrangle, Wyoming: Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., PGJ/F-030(82), 27 p.
- Maassen, L.W., Sandoval, W.F., Minor, M.M., Gallimore, D.L., Talcott, C.L., Hensley, W.K., and Hanks, D., 1980, Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance for the Thermopolis NTMS quadrangle, Wyoming, including concentrations of forty-two additional elements: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory informal report LA-8005-MS, Los Alamos, N.M., U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-188(80), 209 p.
Links Within Open-File Report 97-492
Back to Wyoming 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
