OFR 97-492: Noatak Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study

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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)

Brief History and Description of Data

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

Geochemical samples were collected during August 1976 as part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) study of the Noatak area and parts of Baird Mountains, and Ambler River quadrangles. Totals of 862 sediment and 876 water samples were collected from 894 locations and analyzed for uranium. The results were published in the GJBX-87(78) report. This report includes results for 410 sediment and 415 water samples collected from 422 locations within the Noatak quadrangle.

During 1977, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBOM) provided funds for multielement analyses of samples taken from the areas proposed for the Chukchi Imuruk National Reserve, the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, and the Cape Krusenstern National Monument. The areas proposed for the Chukchi Imuruk National Reserve included portions of Bendeleben, Kotzebue, Shishmaref, and Teller quadrangles. The areas proposed for the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge included portions of Selawik and Shungnak quadrangles. The areas proposed for the Cape Krusenstern National Monument were within the Noatak quadrangle. The results of the multielement analyses were released in two separate reports. In 1977, the first report released was the Proposed Cape Krusenstern National Monument GJBX-63(77) report. This report contained analytical results for 88 sediment samples and 84 water samples collected from 89 locations within the Noatak quadrangle. Included were the USBOM-funded multielement analyses of the sediments, and uranium analyses of sediment and water samples that were also released by LASL in the Noatak area GJBX-87(78) report.

In 1978, LASL released the GJBX-26(79) report. This was the second report of USBOM-funded analyses of LASL NURE samples. The report contained results for 452 sediment samples and 492 water samples from 517 locations within the proposed Chukchi Imuruk National Reserve, 423 sediment samples and 447 water samples from 451 locations within the proposed Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, and 11 sediment samples and 10 water samples from 11 locations within the proposed Cape Krusenstern National Monument. In addition to results of the USBOM-funded multielement analyses, the GJBX-26(79) report included results of uranium analyses that were also published by LASL in three other NURE data release reports. Uranium results for samples collected from Noatak quadrangle were also included in the Noatak area GJBX-87(78) report. Uranium results for samples collected from Teller and Bendeleben quadrangles were also included in the Seward Peninsula and vicinity GJBX-85(78) report. Uranium results for samples collected from Shishmaref, Kotzebue, Selawik, and Shungnak quadrangles were also included in the Northern Seward Peninsula and vicinity GJBX-86(78) report. The USBOM-funded GJBX-26(79) multielement analysis report included results for 11 sediment samples and 10 water samples collected from 11 locations from within the Noatak quadrangle.

In 1977, the entire NURE HSSR program changed from a study area basis (State, County, or geomorphic province) to a 1° x 2° (1° x 3° in parts of Alaska) quadrangle basis. To complete the Noatak quadrangle study, LASL analyzed the sediment samples from the remainder of the Noatak quadrangle for up to 45 additional elements. However, LASL was unable to complete the Noatak quadrangle data release report. The sediment and water data were sent to the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation in Grand Junction, Colorado and subsequently published as the microfiche Noatak Quadrangle HSSR GJBX-180(82) report. This report does not give any details on the sample collection or analytical methods used on these samples.

The following is a list of NURE sample types collected in the Noatak 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.

Summary of Noatak quadrangle sample types.
Sediment Sample Type Number of Samples Water Sample Type Number of Samples
Wet Streams 276 Streams 277
Dry Streams 3 Lakes 138
Wet Lakes 131
Total Sediments 410 Total Waters 415

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

Sediment Samples

Water Samples



Composition of the NEW-FORMAT NURE Data Files

The data in the NEW-FORMAT NURE sediment data file consist of 409 reformatted sediment records from the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report, 1 reformatted sediment record from the Noatak Area study GJBX-87(78) report, and 11 reformatted sediment records added from tables in the USBOM-funded GJBX-26(79) multielement analysis report. The data in the NEW-FORMAT NURE water data file consist of 415 reformatted water records from the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. Any changes in the data or problems found are noted in the REFORMAT comment field.

With the exception of the uranium data, the 409 sediment records from the earlier Noatak Area study GJBX-87(78) were the same as corresponding records from the later Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. Uranium values from the Noatak Area study GJBX-87(78) report were recorded to the tenths place while the corresponding values found in the later Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report were recorded to the hundredths place. The differences between the two values for each record are small, but are more than can reasonably be attributed to rounding or truncating. The slightly different uranium values from the Noatak Area study GJBX-87(78) report were added to the sediment data file in the U_XX_PPM field and the addition was noted in the REFORMAT comment field.

The 88 sediment sample records from the Proposed Cape Krusenstern National Monument GJBX-63(77) report were not available in a digital form. The elemental data in this report differ some from that found in corresponding records from the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. These data are available only as tables in the Proposed Cape Krusenstern National Monument GJBX-63(77) report. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies these records.

The 11 sediment sample records from the second USBOM-funded GJBX-26(79) multielement report also were not available in a digital form. The data differ from that found in corresponding records from the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. The data from these 11 records were hand entered and added to the sediment file from tables in the USBOM-funded GJBX-26(79) multielement report. Consequently, 2 records were kept for each of these 11 sediment samples. Comments in the REFORMAT field also identify these records.

With the exception of the uranium data, the 415 water records from the earlier Noatak Area study GJBX-87(78) were the same as the corresponding records from the later Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. Uranium values for some records differ in the hundredths place. It appears that the uranium results were rounded to the hundredths place in the earlier Noatak Area study GJBX-87(78) report but were truncated to the hundredths place in the later Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. No explanation for the difference was found in the reports and the difference was not noted in the REFORMAT comment field. Only the records from the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report were retained in the NEW-FORMAT NURE water data file. The slightly different values for uranium in waters from the Noatak Area study can be found in the GJBX-87(78) report.

The 84 water sample records from the Proposed Cape Krusenstern National Monument GJBX-63(77) report were not available in digital form. However, a comparison of these records with corresponding records in the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) showed that all the contained data were reproduced in the second report. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies these records.

The 10 Cape Krusenstern water samples from the second USBOM-funded GJBX-26(79) multielement report were combined with the uranium data found in the corresponding records from the Noatak quadrangle GJBX-180(82) report. All data from both sources were accommodated into a single record per sample. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies these combined records.

Values for dissolved oxygen at 143 sample sites from the Noatak Area study were added from the GJBX-87(78) report and can be found in the O_DISS field. A comment in the REFORMAT field identifies these records.



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).

Noatak Quadrangle Sediment Data - 417 records
Noatak Quadrangle Water Data - 411 records



Notes for Data Users

Water samples from this quadrangle are reported to have been acidified with nitric acid but NOT filtered in the field.



Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Noatak Quadrangle

LASL compiled all of the regional HSSR data from Alaskan NURE studies and produced a report [GJBX-32(83] that graphically displays the distribution of selected elements for most of the State. No additional geochemical data were released with this report.



Noatak Quadrangle NURE Bibliography



Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Alaska 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 1.20: August 07, 2000
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.40: January 13, 2006

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