NGR surveys are characterized by:

• Sample density of 1 sample per 13 km² or greater (New Brunswick ˜ 1:2.5 km²), with a survey area of 1000 km² or greater
• Stream sediment surveys in regions of moderate to mountainous relief (Cordillera, New Brunswick and northern Labrador)
• Lake sediment surveys in regions of low to moderate relief (Canadian Shield)
• Survey results are published in GSC Open File format the year following survey initiation

Stream sediment samples are taken from first or second order streams. Samples are collected in Kraft paper bags (12.5 cm x 28 cm with side gusset) that are two-thirds filled with silt or fine sand collected from the active stream channel. Silt samples are collected after water samples. Commonly, the sampler collects handfuls of silt from various points in the active stream channel while moving gradually upstream. If the stream channel consists of clay or coarse materials from which suitable sample is scarce or absent, a moss mat sample might be collected.

The Kraft paper bags containing the silt samples are shipped to a commercial lab, where they are air-dried at temperatures below 40ºC and sieved through a minus 80-mesh (177 µm) screen. Quality control is critical to the success of the NGR program and includes the insertion of control reference and blind duplicate samples into each block of twenty sediment samples.

• Centre-lake sediment samples taken from lakes with a surface area of preferably less than a 5 km² and a depth of greater than 3 metres. Surface water sample also taken at site

• A bottom-valved, hollow-pipe sampler is used to collect one kilogram or so of wet lake sediment. The sampler is vented at the top, allowing the top few centimetres of sediment to escape so that possible contamination in the upper levels of sediment can be avoided. Typically, one kilogram of the organic gel, the preferred collection material, is about 95 per cent water, and once dried, about 50 grams of material remain for analysis.

• Samples are air dried, disaggregated, then sieved with an 80 mesh (<180 µm) screen

• The -80 mesh material is then split into two portions, one half for Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) analysis, the other for Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA)

• Blocks of 20 sequential samples are treated as management blocks. Within each block of 20 samples there are 17 routine samples, one set of field duplicate samples, one control reference sample and one blind or analytical duplicate. A set of field duplicates is comprised of two samples taken from the same location, the purpose being to measure field variation. The control reference sample is a known and well analyzed reference material. It is used to ensure analytical accuracy. The blind duplicate sample is simply a portion of one of the field duplicate samples. The purpose of the blind duplicate sample is to ensure analytical precision. The use of standards is paramount. Adept use of quality control measures will ensure data integrity both spatially and chronologically

Stream waters are sampled in mid-channel, from flowing water where possible. Lake waters are collected from below the surface of the lake from the same location the sediment sample is collected. Samples are contained in HDPE bottles. Until recently, water samples were analyzed only for uranium, fluoride and pH, but with the advent of sensitive and relatively inexpensive multi-element analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), data for up to 50 or more elements will become available.