Identification_Information:
	Citation:
		Citation_Information:
			Originator: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Central Region Energy Resources Team.
			Publication_Date: 19990930
			Title: Dkcat.shp (Net coal thickness in the Decker coalfield area).
			Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
			Publication_Information:
				Publication_Place: Denver, CO
				Publisher: USGS Central Region Energy Resources Team
	Description:
		Abstract:
			This ArcView shapefile contains a representation of the
			total, net coal thickness in the Anderson-anyon coal zone,
			Decker coalfield, Montana. This theme was created
			specifically for the National Coal Resources Assessment in
			the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region.
		Purpose:
			The Nation's coal resources are being assessed by the
			USGS. This assessment identifies and characterizes the
			coal beds and coal zones that will provide the bulk of the
			Nation's coal-derived energy during the next few decades.
			This assessment is different from previous USGS
			assessments because digital files and databases are being
			collected and stored in standardized formats, and being
			analyzed using a Geographic Information System (GIS).
		Supplemental_Information:
			The total, net coal thickness map theme represents a
			digital polygon coverage of the total, net coal thickness
			(isopach) map for the Anderson-Canyon coal zone.
			The total, net coal isopach map was originally
			constructed by contouring a gridded data set of values
			derived from the summation of net coal thickness
			(excluding partings) for all coal beds within the coal zone at
			drill hole and outcrop locations.  This map, therefore,
			reflects the distribution of the cumulative (total) coal
			thickness for all coal beds within the zone rather than the
			thickness of any individual coal bed except in areas
			stratigraphically below the Dietz 3, the merged Dietz 2 and
			Dietz 3, or the Dietz coal bed, where thickness values
			reflect the thickness of the Canyon (or lower Canyon) coal
			bed alone.  Coal beds less than 2.5 feet thick were not
			included in the data used to construct the isopach map.
			The map extent used for the total, net coal isopach map of
			the Anderson-Canyon coal zone is constrained by the Crow
			and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation boundaries,
			the Montana state line, and the Canyon (or lower Canyon)
			coal bed outcrop or contact with clinker, which defines the
			base (or maximum extent) of the Anderson-Canyon coal
			zone in this study.
			About 400 data points (drill hole and outcrop locations)
			were used in the calculation of the total, net coal
			isopach map of the Anderson-Canyon coal zone.  This total
			includes limited confidential data from mine operators and
			data from wells in northern Wyoming (near the Montana
			state line) which helped to define isopach trends along the
			southern boundary of the coal field.  The drill hole and
			outcrop data were imported into a gridding and contouring
			software package (EarthVision; Dynamic Graphics, Inc.).
			An isopach (equal thickness) grid was calculated and used
			to generate the total, net coal isopach map.  The grid
			spacing used in this calculation was 200 x 200 meters and
			the grid extent covers an area of approximately 550,000
			acres (860 mi2).  Minor editing of the grid file was
			necessary to generate results more consistent with our
			interpretations of the coal geology in the study area.  Upon
			completion of the edits, the isopach map was converted to
			a contour output file in EarthVision, and subsequently
			converted into a digital polygon coverage by using a
			combination of programs ('ISMARC' and
			'CONVERT-ISM.AML') furnished to the U.S. Geological
			Survey by the Illinois State Geological Survey.  This total,
			net coal isopach coverage was then generalized using a
			weed tolerance of 30 meters to reduce file size.  The
			generalized cover was then converted to a shapefile for
			incorporation as a theme in the ARCVIEW project.  The
			total, net coal thickness categories as shown in the theme
			(for example, 2.5 - 5.0 ft, 5.0 - 10 ft, etc.) are consistent
			with total coal thickness categories used in the tabulation
			of coal resources.
	Time_Period_of_Content:
		Time_Period_Information:
			Single_Date/Time:
				Calendar_Date: 19980000
		Currentness_Reference: Publication Date
	Status:
		Progress: Complete
		Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
	Spatial_Domain:
		Bounding_Coordinates:
			West_Bounding_Coordinate: -107.0208
			East_Bounding_Coordinate: -105.7566
			North_Bounding_Coordinate: 45.4652
			South_Bounding_Coordinate: 44.9935
	Keywords:
		Theme:
			Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
			Theme_Keyword: Anderson-Canyon coal zone
			Theme_Keyword: Total, net coal thickness
			Theme_Keyword: Isopach map
		Place:
			Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
			Place_Keyword: Montana
			Place_Keyword: Decker Coalfield
			Place_Keyword: Big Horn County
			Place_Keyword: Rosebud County
			Place_Keyword: Powder River County
			Place_Keyword: Powder River Basin
	Access_Constraints: None
	Use_Constraints: None
	Point_of_Contact:
		Contact_Information:
			Contact_Organization_Primary:
				Contact_Organization: USGS Central Region Energy Resources Team
				Contact_Person: Steve Roberts
			Contact_Address:
				Address_Type: mailing address
				Address:
					Box 25046 MS 939
					Denver Federal Center
				City: Denver
				State_or_Province: CO
				Postal_Code: 80225-0046
			Contact_Voice_Telephone: 303.236.7788
	Native_Data_Set_Environment:
		ArcView version 3.0
		ARC/INFO 7.1.2
		SUNOS, 5.6, SUN4U UNIX
Data_Quality_Information:
	Attribute_Accuracy:
		Attribute_Accuracy_Report: No tests were performed in the field for accuracy.
	Logical_Consistency_Report: Polygon features present
	Completeness_Report:
		This data is limited to the Decker coalfield, Powder River
		Basin, Montana.
	Positional_Accuracy:
		Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
			Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
				Limited to software coordinate precision of geographic
				coordinates
	Lineage:
		Source_Information:
			Source_Citation:
				Citation_Information:
					Originator: USGS Central Region Energy Resource (Tertiary Team).
					Publication_Date: Unknown
					Publication_Time: Unknown
					Title: Northern Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Fort Union Stratifact Database.
					Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
			Type_of_Source_Media: disc
			Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
				Time_Period_Information:
					Single_Date/Time:
						Calendar_Date: Unknown
				Source_Currentness_Reference: Publication Date
			Source_Citation_Abbreviation: None
			Source_Contribution:
				Stratigraphic data was used to complete the total, net coal
				isopach map for the Anderson-Canyon coal zone, Decker
				coalfield, Montana
		Process_Step:
			Process_Description:
				The drill hole and outcrop data were imported into a
				gridding and contouring software package (EarthVision;
				Dynamic Graphics, Inc.).  An isopach (equal thickness) grid
				was calculated and used to generate the total, net coal
				isopach map.  The grid spacing used in this calculation
				was 200 x 200 meters and the grid extent covers an area
				of approximately 550,000 acres (860 mi2).  Minor editing of
				the grid file was necessary to generate results more
				consistent with our interpretations of the coal geology in
				the study area.  Upon completion of the edits, the isopach
				map was converted to a contour output file in EarthVision,
				and subsequently converted into a digital polygon
				coverage by using a combination of programs ('ISMARC'
				and 'CONVERT-ISM.AML') furnished to the U.S.
				Geological Survey by the Illinois State Geological Survey.
				This total, net coal isopach coverage was then generalized
				using a weed tolerance of 30 meters to reduce file size.
				The generalized cover was then converted to a shapefile
				for incorporation as a theme in the ArcView project.  The
				total, net coal thickness categories as shown in the theme
				(for example, 2.5 - 5.0 ft, 5.0 - 10 ft, etc.) are consistent
				with total coal thickness categories used in the tabulation
				of coal resources.
			Process_Date: Unknown
			Process_Contact:
				Contact_Information:
					Contact_Organization_Primary:
						Contact_Organization: USGS Central Region Energy Resources Team
						Contact_Person: Steve Roberts
					Contact_Address:
						Address_Type: mailing address
						Address:
							Box 25046 MS 939
							Denver Federal Center
						City: Denver
						State_or_Province: CO
						Postal_Code: 80225-0046
					Contact_Voice_Telephone: 303.236.7788
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
	Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
	Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
		SDTS_Terms_Description:
			SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: GT-polygon composed of chains
			Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 275
Spatial_Reference_Information:
	Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
		Geographic:
			Latitude_Resolution: .0001
			Longitude_Resolution: .0001
			Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees
		Geodetic_Model:
			Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum 1927
			Ellipsoid_Name: Clarke 1866
			Semi-major_Axis: 6378206.4
			Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 294.98
Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
	Detailed_Description:
		Entity_Type:
			Entity_Type_Label: dkcat.dbf
			Entity_Type_Definition: Shapefile Attribute Table
			Entity_Type_Definition_Source: None
		Attribute:
			Attribute_Label: Areab
			Attribute_Definition: Area of polygon
			Attribute_Definition_Source: Software computed
			Attribute_Domain_Values:
				Range_Domain:
					Range_Domain_Minimum: 95.14000
					Range_Domain_Maximum: 953039.00000
Distribution_Information:
	Distributor:
		Contact_Information:
			Contact_Organization_Primary:
				Contact_Organization: USGS Central Region Energy Resources Team
			Contact_Address:
				Address_Type: mailing address
				Address:
					Box 25046 MS 939
					Denver Federal Center
				City: Denver
				State_or_Province: CO
				Postal_Code: 80225-0046
			Contact_Voice_Telephone: 303.236.1647
	Distribution_Liability:
		The US Geological Survey provides these geographic data
		"as is."  The USGS makes no guarantee or warranty
		concerning the accuracy of information contained in this
		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 USGS computers, 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 any such warranty. In no
		event shall the USGS have any 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.
Metadata_Reference_Information:
	Metadata_Date: 19980000
	Metadata_Review_Date: 19990000
	Metadata_Future_Review_Date: 19990000
	Metadata_Contact:
		Contact_Information:
			Contact_Organization_Primary:
				Contact_Organization: USGS Central Region Energy Resources Team
				Contact_Person: Steve Roberts
			Contact_Address:
				Address_Type: mailing address
				Address:
					Box 25046 MS 939
					Denver Federal Center
				City: Denver
				State_or_Province: CO
				Postal_Code: 80225-0046
			Contact_Voice_Telephone: 303.236.7788
	Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC CSDGM
	Metadata_Standard_Version: 19940608