Surface Materials Data from Breccia-Pipe Uranium Mine and Reference Sites, Arizona, USA (ver. 2.0, August 2026)

This data release includes elemental analysis of soil samples collected at breccia-pipe uranium mines, one undeveloped breccia-pipe uranium deposit, and a reference site in northern Arizona. Five different types of soil samples were collected from 2013 through 2016. Results from a leachate analysis performed on select soil samples also are included in the data release.

The 5 different soil sample types are defined as follows:
1.) incremental soil samples where more than 30 equally spaced subsamples were collected and composited across a limited areal extent, termed a decision unit and depicted generally as a trapezoidal-shaped polygon mapped within a mine yard or surrounding a mine site;
2.) incremental soil samples where more than 30 subsamples were collected and composited across a roughly two dimensional linear or sinuous mapped pattern following roads and also termed a decision unit;
3.) discrete integrated soil samples where more than 30 subsamples were collected within fenced enclosures (generally about 3 meters square) containing Big Springs Number Eight dust sampling equipment;
4.) integrated soil samples comprised of at least 10 subsamples collected from underneath plywood cover boards used to collect herpetofauna; and
5.) soil cores of 2.5-centimeter (cm) diameter.

Data are divided into four different data tables based upon type:
⦁ types 1 and 2 are in T1_DUSamples.csv;
⦁ types 3 and 4 are in T2_BSNESamples.csv;
⦁ type 5 is in T3_SoilCore.csv;
⦁ results from leachate analysis in T4_Leachates.csv.

DataDictionary_v2.csv defines all table headings and abbreviations. Sample preparation and analytical techniques are described in the metadata file. The elemental values represent average concentrations for the sample volume collected across the entire geographic area at a depth of 0-5 centimeters of each decision unit. Values do not represent concentrations that could be measured in a discrete sample collected at central coordinates of each decision unit. Revision 2.0 includes addition of tables T3 and T4 and associated revisions of the data dictionary and metadata. Three dates in T1 also were corrected.

First posted – February 13, 2019 (available from author)
Revised – August, 2026 (version 2.0)