OFR 97-492: Twin Falls Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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>> Pubs Warehouse > OF 97-492 > State Coverage > Twin Falls Quadrangle
This page is currently being rewritten to the Version 1.41 format.
[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
Totals of 1,510 sediment and 451 water samples were collected in the Twin Falls quadrangle between April and July, 1980 as part of the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) Twin Falls 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" (31 elements in waters). SRL apparently did not analyze the sediment samples and subsequently did not release an individual quadrangle report for Twin Falls.
A total of 1,449 sediment samples from SRL were sent to 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-59(82)). The site coding information for Twin Falls quadrangle was summarized with several other western quadrangles in the Oak Ridge GJBX-51(82) report.
In 1982, ORGDP released the data from supplementary analyses of a selection of the SRL water samples from 3 quadrangles in southern Oregon and Idaho in the GJBX-170(82) abbreviated report (on microfiche only). This report includes the supplemental data for up to 29 elements in 450 of the Twin Falls water samples. The site coding information for this data set was summarized in the GJBX-164(82) report.
In 1982, SRL released a summary report and data files for 50 quadrangles in the Western United States. This report, GJBX-132(82), contains the analytical data from the Twin Falls water samples, but contains only site information for the Twin Falls sediment samples. The introduction section of the GJBX-132(82) summary report states:
"The data in the present report may not be identical to those reported previously. This is due to the use of different "scrub" procedures for the preparation of the data for release. The differences should be minor."
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 335 of the Twin Falls quadrangle ground water samples.
The following is a list of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Twin Falls 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.
| Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Streams | 2 | Streams | 3 |
| Dry Streams | 32 | Wells | 345 |
| Soils | 1,445 | Springs | 103 |
| Talus | 20 | ||
| Other (may include mine tailings) | 11 | ||
| Total Sediments | 1,510 | Total Waters | 451 |
These Twin Falls quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
Water Samples
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 GJBX-59(82) and GJBX-170(82) quadrangle reports was checked against the "equivalent" record in the GJBX-132(82) western U.S. summary report and any major differences were noted in the REFORMAT comment field.
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 was analyzed by both labs has 2 separate records - one for the SRL analysis and one for the ORGDP 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.
The coordinates for 1 water and 46 sediment samples from the 15-minute quadrangle defined by the SRLID prefix TFCD were re-digitized (15-minute map coordinates: latitude 42.25° to 42.5°N, longitude 115° to 115.25°W). The replaced coordinates from the original records were saved and placed in the REFORMAT comment field.
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).
Twin Falls Quadrangle Sediment Data - 1,508 records
Twin Falls Quadrangle Water Data - 900 records
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.
Previous users of the Twin Falls quadrangle data have noticed that almost no samples plotted in the quadrangle identified in SRL sample numbers as TFCD, while samples plotted in the TFCC quadrangle (the 15-minute quadrangle immediately west of TFCD) had about twice the usual sample density. (See the SRLID coding explanation in the On-Line Manual for New-Format NURE HSSR Data Files for a discussion on the 4 letter designations in the western area SRL sample numbers.) Since no reference to a change in sampling was noted in the reports, the original field maps were retrieved to check the sample locations. At the time of sampling, USGS quadrangle maps were not available for the region between 42° and 42.5°N latitude, and 115° and 115.5°W longitude. Field personnel subsequently used county maps for Owyhee and Twin Falls Counties to record sampling locations. Notations on these maps indicate that when the samples recorded on these maps were originally digitized, the corners for the TFCD quadrangle were incorrectly labeled. If the samples were originally digitized using these incorrect corner coordinates, most of the values would subsequently plot in the TFCC quadrangle. To rectify this problem, all sample locations for the TFCD quadrangle were re-digitized and the new coordinates were entered in the LAT and LONG fields in the NEW-FORMAT NURE data files. The coordinates from the original digitization of the sample locations were saved and added to comments in the REFORMAT field.
None found.
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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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