1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data

An index to PGE-Ni-Cr deposits and occurrences in selected mineral-occurrence databases

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
An index to PGE-Ni-Cr deposits and occurrences in selected mineral-occurrence databases
Abstract:
The data in Ni_Cr_PGE shapefile was obtained by compiling records of sites containing nickel, chromium, or one of the platinum group elements from published databases and one in-house database. A basic set of data: name, latitude, longitude, commodities, record type, and reference were added to a database.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Causey, J. Douglas, Galloway, John P., and Zientek, Michael L., 2009, An index to PGE-Ni-Cr deposits and occurrences in selected mineral-occurrence databases: Open File Report 2009-1045, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -172.755600
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: 178.850000
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 83.080332
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: -53.147950
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 2009
    Currentness_Reference:
    publication date
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: database
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Entity point (17969)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.0001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    main
    General descriptive information about the site (Source: this dataset)
    site_id
    Site ID.

    Unique identifier for a site. Integer values. Int of width 10. (Source: this dataset)
    Range of values
    Minimum:7684
    Maximum:12164329
    Resolution:1
    name
    Site Name.

    Name of the site as used in the literature. Textual values of no more than 76 characters. (Source: this dataset)
    ValueDefinition
    (no value)Information not available for this record. 933 records have no value for name.
    latitude
    Latitude.

    Geographic latitude of the site, WGS84. Real numbers stored in double precision. (Source: this dataset)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-53.14
    Maximum:83.08
    Units:decimal degrees
    longitude
    Longitude.

    Geographic longitude of the site, WGS84. Real numbers stored in double precision. (Source: this dataset)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-172.75
    Maximum:178.85
    Units:decimal degrees
    src_rec_no
    Source record.

    Record number in the source database. Textual values of no more than 15 characters. (Source: this dataset) Textual identifiers varying in length, may include letters and numbers.
    record_tp
    Description.

    Description of the site from the source database. Textual values of no more than 100 characters. (Source: this dataset)
    ValueDefinition
    (no value)Information not available for this record. 2223 records have no value for record_tp.
    country
    Country.

    Country in which the site occurs. Textual values of no more than 43 characters. (Source: this dataset) Unabbreviated country names.
    state
    State or Province.

    State or province in which the site occurs. Textual values of no more than 29 characters. (Source: this dataset)
    ValueDefinition
    (no value)Information not available for this record. 6770 records have no value for state.
    ref_no
    Reference ID.

    Unique identifier for the bibliographic reference, a value in reference:ref_no. Integer values. Int of width 4. (Source: this dataset)
    Range of values
    Minimum:4
    Maximum:70
    Resolution:1
    class
    Classification.

    Generalized classification of the site based on the record_tp value. Textual values of no more than 32 characters. (Source: this dataset)
    ValueDefinition
    DepositRecord describes an occurrence large enough to support commercial exploitation, whether or not production has occurred.
    ProducerSource database indicates that production has occurred and does not indicate that production was discontinued. In many cases this does not mean the site is currently operating.
    Past ProducerSource database indicates that production occurred in the past but was not occurring at the time the source record was last updated.
    OccurrenceSource database indicates an occurrence of the target commodity but no size and no production.
    unclassifiedInformation given in the source does not provide sufficient detail to assign one of the other classifications.
    (no value)No information about the type of record could be determined.
    commodity
    Commodities found at the site (Source: this dataset)
    site_id
    Site ID.

    Unique identifier for a site, a value in main:site_id. Integer values. Int of width 10. (Source: this dataset)
    Range of values
    Minimum:7684
    Maximum:12164329
    Resolution:1
    value
    Commodity.

    Commodity, an element symbol or material type. Textual values of no more than 36 characters. (Source: this dataset) Single chemical element symbols, mineral, or material names. A small number of values appear to be misspelled, such as "COBAL", "An", or "BiI".
    reference
    Bibliographic references for data sources (Source: this dataset)
    ref_no
    Reference ID.

    Unique identifier for the bibliographic reference. Integer values. Int of width 4. (Source: this dataset)
    Range of values
    Minimum:4
    Maximum:70
    Resolution:1
    ref
    Reference.

    Bibliographic reference text, possibly including a URL. Textual values of no more than 768 characters. (Source: this dataset) Textual reference, often including a URL or a type of media such as CDROM.
    ref_short
    Citation.

    Short citation of the reference, suitable for in-text notes. Textual values of no more than 64 characters. (Source: this dataset) Author or organization names followed by year in parentheses.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Causey, J. Douglas
    • Galloway, John P.
    • Zientek, Michael L.
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Peter N Schweitzer
    USGS Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center
    Geologist
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
    Reston, VA
    USA

    703-648-6533 (voice)
    703-648-6252 (FAX)
    pschweitzer@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The dataset was created to provide an index to other sources of information on mineral sites containing nickel, chromium and platinum group elements.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    Causey and others (2009) (source 1 of 3)
    Causey, J. D., Galloway, J.P., and Zientek, M.L., 2009, An index to PGE-Ni-Cr deposits and occurrences in selected mineral-occurrence databases: Open File Report 2009-1045, U.S. Geological Survey, World Wide Web.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Access v. 2000 database
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1000000
    Source_Contribution: Data used to make a point shapefile.
    Banerjee and others, 2001 (source 2 of 3)
    Banerjee, J., Gosh, S., and Mukherjee, A., 2001, Mineral atlas of India: None None, Geological Society of India, Hydesbad, India.

    Type_of_Source_Media: paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2,000,000
    Source_Contribution:
    Data extracted to tabular form and used to make a point feature class and shapefile.
    Besaire, 1964 (source 3 of 3)
    Besaire, Henri, 1964, Madagascar, carte géologique: None None, Service géologique, Madagascar.

    Type_of_Source_Media: paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1000000
    Source_Contribution:
    Data extracted to tabular form and used to make a point feature class and shapefile.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2009 (process 1 of 1)
    Data from table in Access database added as a theme to ArcMap. The latitude and longitude fields used to make a XY Event theme. The event theme was then exported to a shapefile. Person who carried out this activity:
    J. Douglas Causey
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    904 W. Riverside Ave, Rm 202
    Spokane, WA
    USA

    509-368-3116 (voice)
    509-363-3199 (FAX)
    dcausey@usgs.gov
    Data sources used in this process:
    • Causey and others (2009)
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    While the accuracy of attribute data is determined by the source databases from which the records were drawn, it should be noted that a few of the values of commodity do not represent standard commodity names or symbols, for example "A".
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Many records lack distinctive names, and have a name like "Unknown" or "Unknown (type)". 933 records have no name at all. Several thousand records have no value for record type (record_tp), and some have values that will be obscure to anyone not well versed in the terminology of the source from which the record came. Most records could be given a standardized site classification (attribute "class") but nearly 3000 remain unclassified.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Data were extracted from a number of distinct collections containing existing records of this type of deposit. Consequently the accuracy, currentness, and completeness of these records depends to a great extent on the source datasets. The source information for each record is provided as the attribute "reference".

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
This spatial database is not meant to be used or displayed at any scale larger than 1:1,000,000 (for example, 1:100,000). Any hardcopies utilizing these datasets shall clearly indicate their source. If the user has modified the data in any way, they are obligated to describe the types of modifications they have performed on the hardcopy map. User specifically agrees not to misrepresent these data sets, nor imply that changes they made were approved by the U.S. Geological Survey.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    Peter N Schweitzer
    USGS Geology, Energy, and Minerals Science Center
    Geologist
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
    Reston, VA
    USA

    703-648-6533 (voice)
    703-648-6252 (FAX)
    pschweitzer@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? USGS Open-File Report 2009-1045
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides these geographic data "as is." The USGS makes no guarantee or warranty concerning the accuracy of information contained in the geographic data. The USGS further makes no warranties, either expressed or implied as to any other matter whatsoever, including, without limitation, the condition of the product, or its fitness for any particular purpose. The burden for determining fitness for use lies entirely with the user. Although these data have been processed successfully on computers of the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS regarding the use of these data on any other system, nor does the fact of distribution constitute or imply such warranty.

    In no event shall the USGS have liability whatsoever for payment of any consequential, incidental, indirect, special, or tort damages of any kind, including, but not limited to, any loss of profits arising out of use of or reliance on the geographic data or arising out of the delivery, installation, operation, or support by the USGS.

    This spatial database is not meant to be used or displayed at any scale larger than 1:1,000,000 (for example, 1:100,000).
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 10-Feb-2021
Metadata author:
Peter N Schweitzer
USGS Geology, Energy, and Minerals Science Center
Geologist
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA
USA

703-648-6533 (voice)
703-648-6252 (FAX)
pschweitzer@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://mrdata.usgs.gov/metadata/ofr-2009-1045.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Wed Feb 10 14:29:03 2021