G14 



DATA OF GEOCHEMISTRY 



There are minor differences between the waters of 

 the Atlantic Coast drainage, even within a small area, 

 as shown by the analyses by Gorham (1957a) of lake 

 waters from three kinds of rock in a single county in 

 Nova Scotia. The general picture is one of rather 

 dilute water and a remarkable uniformity from the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida, where the concentra- 

 tion of calcium-bicarbonate waters is again more than 

 500 ppm. There are undoubtedly small pockets of 

 hard surface water farther north — for example, in the 

 regions of dolomite outcrop on Cape Breton Island — 

 and probably small streams with much saltier water as 

 well, for salt springs are known from the Atlantic Coast 

 drainage, but these aberrant waters are too local in 

 occurrence to affect the general composition of the major 

 streams, and too scarce to have been detected in the 

 sampling that has been done so far. 



EASTERN TRIBUTARIES OF THE GUIF OF MEXICO 



West of peninsular Florida rather dilute calcium 

 carbonate waters are again found (table 11). 



Table 11. — Analyses, in parts per million, of water from the 

 eastern tributaries of the Gulf of Mexico 



A. 



D. 



o. 



Withlacoochee River near Holder, Fla. Oct. 1950 to Dec. 1951. U.S. Geol. 

 Survey (1955c). 



Flint River at Bainbridge, Ga. Oct. 1941 to Sept. 1942. Collins, Howard, and 

 Love (1943). 



Chattahoochee River at Columbus, Qa. Weighted average for Oct. 1940 to 

 Sept. 1941. Collins, Howard, and Love (1943). 



Apalachicola River at State Highway 20 near Blounstown, Fla. Dec. 17, 1958. 

 Durum, Heidel, and Tison (1960). Analysis includes Ag, 0.00011 ppm; Al, 

 0.073 ppm; B, 0.0050 ppm; Ba, 0.042 ppm; Co, 0.000 ppm; Cr, 0.0022 ppm; Cu, 

 0.0021 ppm; Li, 0.000096 ppm; Mn, 0.0050 ppm; Mo, 0.000 ppm; Ni, 0.0046 

 ppm; P, 0.000 ppm; Pb, 0.0062 ppm; Rb, 0.0010 ppm; Sr, 0.034 ppm; Ti, 

 <0.0008 ppm. 



Conasauga River at Tilton, Ga. Oct. 1942 to Sept. 1943. Howard and Love 

 (1945). 



Oostanaula River at Rome, Ga. Oct. 1941 to Sept. 1942. Collins and Love 

 (1944). 



Etowah River near Cartersville, Ga. Oct. 1938 to Sept. 1939. Lamar (1944). 

 H. Tombigbee River near Epes, Ala. Analysis recalculated from Clarke (1924b). 

 I. Mobile River at Mt. Vernon Landing, Ala. Dec. 16, 1958. Durum, Heidel, 

 and Tison, 1960. Analysis includes Ag, 0.00013 ppm; Al, 0.186 ppm; B, 0.0033 

 ppm; Ba, 0.075 ppm; Co, 0.000 ppm; Cr, 0.0020 ppm; Cu, 0.0035 ppm; Li, 

 0.0017 ppm; Mn, 0.041 ppm; Mo, 0.000 ppm; Ni, 0.0069 ppm; P, <0.098 ppm; Pb, 

 0.015 ppm; Rb, 0.0013 ppm; Sr, 0.068 ppm; Ti, 0.0036 ppm; and Zn, 0.000 ppm. 



MISSISSIPPI RIVER DRAINAGE 



Some recent fairly complete analyses for the Mis- 

 sissippi system are presented in tables 12-15. An older 

 set of data from the Mississippi River is included in 

 table 15(H), because it is the best information about 

 the mean composition of this remarkable river. It 

 needs to be replaced by a complete modern analysis 

 of water collected over a period of 12 months. 



The Mississippi basin is moderately well watered 

 and is underlain largely by sedimentary rocks. The 

 result is usually water with hundreds of parts per 

 million total dissolved solids. The salts making up the 

 dissolved material vary considerably, but sulfate tends 

 to be more important than carbonate in the Ohio and 

 its tributaries, and also in the tributaries of the more 

 arid parts of the western Mississippi drainage (E, 

 table 14). In most Mississippi waters, calcium is the 

 dominant cation, though again there are exceptions, 

 with sodium becoming more important in the arid 

 parts. In highly industrialized parts of the Ohio 

 branch, some waters (G, table 13) are concentrated by 

 pollution and contain a great deal of chloride as well as 

 sulfate and bicarbonate. In Pennsylvania (C-E, table 

 13), acid mine wastes contribute much sulfate to some 

 rivers. 



Table 12. — Analyses, in parts per million, of water from the Ohio 

 River, main stem 



A. Ohio River at South Heights (17], Pa. Mean of 36 analyses. Oct. 1945 to Sept. 



1946. Pennsylvania State Planning Board (1947, p. 122). 



B. Ohio River at Dam 13 [114]. Analyses B-H represent 12-day weighted averages 



for Sept. 18-29, 1950, and are from Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Com- 

 mission (1950 |1951], table 2). 



C. Ohio River at Dam 19 [1921. F. Ohio River at Dam 43 [633]. 



D. Ohio River at Dam 31 [3591. G. Ohio River at Shawneetown, DU. [858]. 



E. Ohio River at Dam 39 [531]. H. Ohio River at Dam 53 [963]. 

 The figures in brackets represent the distance in miles below Pittsburgh, Pa. 



Table 13. — Analyses, in parts per million, of water from the Ohio 

 drainage of the Mississippi system 



A. Allegheny River at Warren, Pa. Oct. 1943 to Sept. 1949. U.S. Geol. Survey 



(1954a). 



B. Clarion River near Plney, Pa. Oct. 1946 to Sept. 1947. U.S. Geol. Survey (1952) . 



C. Klskiminetas River at Leechburg, Pa. Oct. 1946 to Sept. 1947. U.S. Geol. Survey, 



(1952). 



D. Casselman River at Hamedsvllle, Pa. Oct. 1949 to Sept. 1950. U.S. Geol. Sur- 



vey (1954b). 



E. Youghlogheny River at Sutersvllle, Pa. Oct. 1947 to Sept. 1948. U.S. Geol. 



Survey (1953a). 



F. Mahoning River at Warren, Ohio. Oct. 1946 to Sept. 1947. U.S. Geol. Survey 



(1952). 



G. Tuscarawas River at Newcomerstown, Oblo. Oct. 1946 to Sept. 1947. U.S. 



Geol. Survey (1952). 



