Geologic sedimentary-character data included within this Open-File Report were previously released as part of the USGS Data Series-146, usSEABED: Gulf of Mexico Surficial Sediment Data Release (Buczkowski and others, 2006). That publication was the first release of the Gulf of Mexico coast data from the usSEABED database. That database contains data and information that forms the scientific foundation for the sediment characterization found within that publication. Below you will find a description of the categories, themes and units held within the dataset.

usSEABED information is categorized into 12 data themes. A list of data themes is given in Table A. The thematic basis of the values found in the outputs can be found in field 11 ("DataType")(Table B) of the extracted (_EXT), parsed (_PRS), and calculated (_CLC) output files. Information on contribution of each source report is in the accompanying metadata files.

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Relational keys
The usSEABED data file types are linked relationally by the foreign keys: DataSetKey (for individual data sets), SiteKey (for individual sites), and the SampleKey (for individual analyses). The DataSetKey field gives the relationship of the data to the original source. The tables can be loaded into a relational database (RDB), relationships may be constructed, and the tables may be joined using the keys.

Source data (_SRC)
Information about the original data are in the source (_SRC) file, including links to metadata about the original data. Each of the output data files discussed below is linked to the _SRC file by the DataSetKey field.

Textural and other basic information (_EXT, _PRS, _CLC)
Textural, statistical, geochemical, geophysical, dominant component, and color information are held in three separate, but similar, data files, based on the type of data: _EXT, _PRS, _CLC. The three data file types have the same fields (Table B) and can be combined for more extensive coverage of the seafloor. It is important for users to understand the inherent limitations of each type of file in order to choose the best data file, or combination of data files appropriate for a particular use.

Extracted data (_EXT)
The data file with the _EXT tag is the extracted data: those data from strictly performed, lab-based, numeric analyses. Most data in this file are listed as reported by the source data report; only minor unit changes are performed or assumptions made about the thickness of the sediment analyzed based on the sampler type. Typical data themes include textural classes and statistics (TXR: gravel, sand, silt, clay, mud, and various statistics), phi grain-size classes (GRZ), chemical composition (CMP), acoustic measurements (ACU), color (COL), and geotechnical parameters (GTC). The _EXT file is based on rigorous lab-determined values and forms the most reliable data sets. Limitations, however, exist due to the uncertainty of the sample tested. For example, were the analyses performed on whole samples or only on the matrix, possibly with larger particles ignored?

Parsed data (_PRS)
Numeric data obtained from verbal logs from core descriptions, shipboard notes, and (or) photographic descriptions are held in the parsed data set (_PRS). The input data are maintained using the terms employed by the original researchers and are coded using phonetically sensible terms for easier processing by dbSEABED. Longer descriptions may have the data divided by theme (Table A). The descriptions often include information on associated biota, sea floor features, and structure. Typical data themes for the parsed data set are lithologic descriptions (LTH), biology (BIO), color (COL), and (or) sea floor type (SFT, descriptions from photos or videos). The values in the parsed data file are calculated using the dbSEABED parser that assigns field values based on the form and content of a description. See the original DS-146 publication (Buczkowski and others, 2006) for additional information on the processing and fuzzy set theory.

The parsing process has been tested and calibrated by comparing the outputs against analytical results for the same samples. Due to the nature of visual descriptions by observers and the use of fuzzy set theory in the parser, the output data show the degree of representation in the sample, or percent abundance values. An assumption in the process is that the output degrees of representation reflect absolute abundances to some degree of accuracy. The calibrations provide information on that accuracy. Although at first sight the descriptive results in the parsed file may seem less accurate than measured values in the extracted file, they are frequently more representative of the sample and seabed as a whole, as they include description of objects such as shells, stones, algae, and other objects (Table C) that are a textural component of the seabed and which are often left out of laboratory analyses, particularly when a machine analysis is employed.

Calculated data (_CLC)
For the extracted and parsed data, some values are not reported by the original source, but can be calculated directly or estimated by standard derivative equations using assumptions about the conditions or variables. These values are reported in the calculated ( _CLC) data files. Although the calculated ( _CLC) data can be combined with the extracted and the parsed (Table B), they are the least reliable of the three data file types and should be used with caution.

Component/feature and facies data (_CMP, _FAC)
Two usSEABED data files contain information about the presence of certain sea floor features, compositional content, biota, and sediment structure. These use major synonyms defined by the thesaurus in the dbSEABED parsing software, which clusters comparable descriptive terms together (granite represents granite, aplite, granodiorite, pegmatite, while laminated represents laminated, laminations, or lamina). Individual components and features (terms like feldspar, phosphorite, bivalves, seagrass, and wood) are held in the _CMP data file (Table D). Appropriately combined components are held in the facies (_FAC) data files (Table E). As with the parsed data files, the values held within the _CMP and _FAC files are the results of filters based on fuzzy set membership to chosen sets, and represent a measure of truth about the attribute, not percentages or defined values. These files only indicate presence, not absence, of material; it is rare that a report might state, "no bivalves" or "no phosphorite."

The _CMP file contains information about compositional content (individual minerals, rocks), genesis (terrigenous, carbonate), and certain biota. These components are internally evaluated and the value for each attribute is based solely on the relationships of attributes within the original description. The flora and fauna included in the compositional components are those that may have an effect on textural determinations in the _PRS data file, such as halimeda, bivalves, or foraminifera (Table C). The values within these attribute fields range between 0 (no membership, probably due to no information), to 100 (complete membership, shell hash = 100 to the shell debris set).

The _CMP file also includes information on sea floor features such as bedforms, fissures, internal structure (bedding, bioturbation), and other flora and fauna. Unlike the compositional content information, which is construed as an abundance within the sample, these attributes are an intensity of development or density of occurrence relative to scales of development or density of occurrence observed elsewhere. The flora and fauna included in the feature category are soft-bodied, for example, those that do not have an input on the textural determination within the _PRS data files, such as kelp, ophiuroids, or annelids. Values within the attribute fields range from 0 (no membership, possibly due to no information) up to 100% (maximum development). In contrast to the situation with component abundances, the sum of feature intensities in a sample is allowed to exceed 100%.

The 100 most common components in the U.S. EEZ are given in the _CMP file, and those attributes with "_F" denote features. Table D lists the components and gives basic forms of descriptive terms that may trigger membership for each. Included in this file are 27 components that are included in the facies (_FAC) file only.

The second file, the facies file (_FAC), is created from components only, similar to the _CMP file. This file configures multiple components into appropriate groups or facies, such as igneous, metamorphic, ooze, foraminifera, and others. The dbSEABED processing software is restricted to a maximum of six components per facies. Table E lists the facies type and the components that comprise each facies group.

Again, these files only indicate presence, not absence, of material; it is rare that a report might state, "no bivalves" or "no phosphorite". The values within this attribute field range between 0 (no membership, probably due to no information), to 100 (complete membership, for example, schist = 100 to the metamorphic set).

Relationship between the _PRS and _CMP outputs
The dbSEABED processing software recognizes that many skeletonized biota, such as halimeda, rhodoliths, shells (broken and unbroken), and others often comprise a sediment sample. Such biological terms are included in the parsing of the textural values. To see the selected biota with textural implications, see Table C . When using the parsed data, it may be important to cross-check with the component file using the relational foreign keys (SiteKey, SampleKey) to determine if biota are to be included in the textural outputs.

Within the _PRS file, the "seabed class" and "class membership" fields indicate the dominant compositional class and the fuzzy set membership of a sample to that class. Other components and mined information may also be listed for that sample in the _CMP file, linked by the relational keys.

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