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USGS Geoscience Data Catalog

Unassessed Mesozoic Basins

Metadata also available as - [Outline] - [Parseable text] - [XML]

Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: Unassessed Mesozoic Basins
Abstract:
This dataset is a polygon shapefile representing unassessed Mesozoic (Triassic) basins of the Eastern U.S. The shapefiles were digitized off of a printed map that was done by the Delaware Geological Survey. The scale of the map that was digitized is 1:1,000,000. The map demonstrates the maximum extent of several basins, and their qualitatively assessed potential for coal. These basins have not been quantitatively assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Supplemental_Information:
Sources used in the abstract and purpose include: 
 Benson, R. 1992. Map of Exposed and Buried Early Mesozoic Rift Basins/Synrift Rocks of the U.S. Middle Atlantic Continental Margin. Delaware Geological Survey Miscellaneous Map Series No. 5. Scale 1:1,000,000
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, 2013, Unassessed Mesozoic Basins: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012-1205, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -85.066124
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -72.424220
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.680042
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 31.142551

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Calendar_Date: 2013
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  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):

      • G-polygon

    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 0.001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Unassessed Mesozoic Basins
    Polygons defining boundaries of basins that have not been quantitatively assessed for coal potential. (Source: Unassessed Mesozoic Basins)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    Coal
    Potential of basin to contain measurable coal (Source: USGS)

    ValueDefinition
    Unknown Coal PotentialUnknown potential of coal in the basin
    Coal PresentCoal has been found and recorded in the basin
    No Coal PresentCoal has not been found, or found in minimal amounts in the basin

    Basin
    Name of Basin (Source: Benson, R. (1992))

    Unique names for individual basins.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    Technical reviews for this publication were provided by Leslie Ruppert, Christopher Garrity, Susan Tewalt, Lee Osmonson, James Luppens and James Coleman.

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Joseph A. East
    U. S. Geological Survey - Eastern Energy Resources Science Center
    Geologist
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 956
    Reston, VA 20192
    United States of America

    703-648-6450 (voice)
    703-648-6419 (FAX)
    jeast@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This dataset was compiled to update the Coal Fields Map of the Conterminous United States, OFR 96-092. It was included to demonstrate potential for coal basins and exploration in areas that have not previously been considered.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    Benson, R. (1992) (source 1 of 1)
    Benson, R., 1992, Map of Exposed and Buried Early Mesozoic Rift Basins/Synrift Rocks of the U.S. Middle Atlantic Continental Margin.: Delaware Geological Survey Miscellaneous Map Series 5.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: PDF scan of paper map.
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1000000
    Source_Contribution: Outline of basins

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 26-Jul-2011 (process 1 of 1)
    The Mesozoic basins shapefile was digitized by hand from the paper map Benson (1992). The coverage was projected from UTM 18 with a datum of NAD 1927 into geographic, and the datum was converted using the ESRI NADCON datum conversion. The coverage was exported as a shapefile and the polygons were populated with attributes.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Joseph A. East
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    MS 956 National Center
    Reston, VA 20192
    U.S.A.

    703-648-6450 (voice)
    703-648-6419 (FAX)
    jeast@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • D:/tully/Reboot/Mesozoic Basins/East_Coast_Mesozoic_Basin_AUs/Shapefiles/50700561_South Georgia Basin/South Georgia Basin AU

  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?

    Attribute accuracy was tested by manual comparison of the source with georeferenced digital printouts of the original publication, hard copy printouts and/or symbolized display of the digital geologic data on an interactive computer graphic system.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    The digital file and shapefile was digitized by hand, with a RMS error not exceeding .005 when coordinating the digitizer. Visual comparison of the basins with the digital geologic map of North America displayed some offset, with the maximum being around 1 km.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    Data set complete. No data was intentionally omitted from the hard copy and digital source maps.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Map elements were visually checked for overshoots, undershoots, duplicates, polygon closure and proper attribution.

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: None

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    USGS Information Services
    Box 25286
    Denver, CO 80225
    U.S.A.

    1-888-ASK-USGS (voice)
    303-202-4693 (FAX)
    <http://store.usgs.gov/>

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    USGS OFR 2012-1205

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    This digital publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data published in this Open-File Report have been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and related materials and/or the functioning of the software. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data, software, or related materials. Graphical map depictions are intended to be used within the map scale limits applicable to the source data. Although software enables the user to view data at various scales, the user is cautioned to refer to the source documentation for the appropriate map scale limitations.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    ArcGIS Desktop 9.X is required to open the map document

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 10-Jul-2013
Metadata author:
Joseph A. East
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192
U.S.A

703-648-6450 (voice)
703-648-6419 (FAX)
jeast@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

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Page Last Modified: Friday, 27-Sep-2013 10:30:00 EDT

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