SIM3383_readme.txt These files constitute the digital database, in GIS format, for USGS SIM 3383, "Surficial Geologic Map of Berrien County, Michigan, and the Adjacent Offshore Area of Lake Michigan" by By Byron D. Stone, Kevin A. Kincare, Dennis W. O’Leary, Wayne L. Newell, Emily M. Taylor, Van S. Williams, Scott C. Lundstrom, Jared E. Abraham, and Michael H. Powers The database represents the majority of the information displayed on sheet 1 of the map (excluding cross sections and correlation of map units). It is recommended that users of the geodatabase read the complete publication (sheets 1 and 2, and the explanatory pamplet). The geodatabase is presented in three formats: 1) SIM3383_GeMS.zip: Contains SIM3383.gdb, an ESRI ArcGIS v. 10.5 file geodatabase laid out in accordance with the GeMS (formerly known as NCGMP09) database schema. A description of this schema is available at http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Info/standards/NCGMP09/. FGDC-style metadata for each element of the geodatabase (table, feature dataset, feature class) are stored within the geodatabase. The zip file also includes report-level metadata, an ESRI .mxd file that describes a map image similar to that in .pdf; .lyr files, and a RESOURCES folder that contains an ESRI .style file, a browse graphic (.jpg). 2) SIM3383-open.zip: A complete, automatic translation of SIM3383.gdb into shapefiles, dbf files, and pipe-delimited text files for fields longer than 255 characters. Logfile.txt documents how fields were renamed to fit within the 10-character fieldname-length limitation of the shapefile format. Also contains report-level metadata and the .lyr files. This complete version of the database contains all the content of the native geodatabase transcribed into well-documented, stable file formats. 3) SIM3383-simple.zip. Automatic translation of MOST of the contents of SIM3383.gdb into simple flat shapefiles. An easy to use, though incomplete, version of the database. The zip file also contains report-level metadata and the .lyr files. These files, as well as a PDF file for a publication-quality image of the map sheet, are available at https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3383. Note that digital base maps are not contained in any of these files. Mary DiGiacomo-Cohen U.S. Geological Survey 101 Pitkin St. East Hartford, CT 06108 mdicohen@usgs.gov