Alaska Minerals Database

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Frequently anticipated questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title: Alaska Minerals Database
Abstract:
DGGS Digital Data Series 18, Alaska Minerals Database, is a working, internal database that supports multiple data products developed by the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS), including the Alaska Mineral Industry Report series (https://dggs.alaska.gov/pubs/minerals) and a web service of significant mineral industry occurrences and industry activity in 2020. DGGS anticipates developing additional products from the database in the future. This abstract and data dictionary will be updated as more of the database becomes publicly available over time. The full, unpublished database contains information about significant mineral occurrences in Alaska, including industry activity by year, mineral resource estimates, mine production statistics by year, and an interpreted mineral system type using the classification scheme of Hofstra and Kreiner (2020). The database also associates records in Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF; U.S. Geological Survey, 1996) with significant mineral occurrences, as interpreted by DGGS. DGGS annually compiles mineral industry information from past-year statements issued by companies, including press releases and corporate annual and financial reports, as well as phone interviews, replies to questionnaires, and news media articles. Only publicly available data compiled by DGGS are visible; confidential data are incorporated into statewide figures. The database is actively updated as new mineral activity data become available each year. Property information and previous years' data will be updated to resolve errors, reflect new geologic interpretations, and display newly available data. Consequently, products developed from the database may change over time as information and figures are updated. DGGS encourages members of the public to contact DGGS' Mineral Resources Section staff to discuss potential changes to the data or errors to be resolved in our derivative products. The data are available from the DGGS website: http://doi.org/10.14509/30873.
Supplemental_Information:
mineral_prop_occurrence:    Mineral property information including name, commodities, and deposit type.	
mineral_ activity:    Mining activity year and property status.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Staff, DGGS, 2022, Alaska Minerals Database: Digital Data Series DDS 18, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 2 p.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -176.650772
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -130.016405
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 69.299754
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 51.846421
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 2020
    Currentness_Reference:
    publication date
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: geodatabase
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a point data set.
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      The map projection used is GS_1984_Web_Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere.
      Projection parameters:
      Standard_Parallel: 0
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: 0
      False_Easting: 0
      False_Northing: 0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.00000001
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.00000001
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters
      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 1/298.257223563.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    mineral_prop_occurrence
    Mineral property information including name, commodities, and deposit type. (Source: DGGS, USGS, and publically available industry data)
    PropertyID
    Primary key; relates to tables mineral_activity, mineral_prod_stats, mineral_prop_resource, and mineral_prop_ardf_xrc. (Source: this report) int4
    Property
    Name of property. (Source: this report) varchar(255)
    Major Commodities
    Major commodities roughly in order of economic significance. (Source: this report) varchar(255)
    Critical Minerals
    Common critical minerals from ARDF and public data sources; in alphabetical order. (Source: this report) varchar(255)
    Commodity Group
    Commodity group with which the property is associated. (Source: this report) varchar(255)
    Deposit Type
    Deposit type with which the property is associated. (Source: this report) varchar(255)
    Public Resource
    Flag for whether the property has public resource information; can be either modern or historical resource. (Source: this report) varchar(10)
    Past Producer
    Flag for whether the property has produced a resource; small production noted in ARDF may not be included. (Source: this report) varchar(10)
    mineral_ activity
    Mining activity year and property status. (Source: DGGS and publically available industry data)
    ActivityID
    Primary key of mineral_activity table. (Source: this report) number
    PropertyID
    Foreign key to mineral_prop_occurrence table. (Source: this report) number
    Mining Year
    Mining year that the activity took place; generally equates to calendar year. (Source: this report) number
    Property Status
    Status of the property during the mining year. For example, a property with significant production is a mine. A property preparing for production such as building infrastructure, conducting advanced permitting, or conducting pre-extraction activities is in development. Searching a property for an economic mineral resource is exploration. (Source: this report) text

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?
    This material is based upon work originally supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, under Grant No. G19AP00077 and the State of Alaska General Fund. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Geological Survey. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. The project continues to be supported by State of Alaska General Funds.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
    Metadata Manager
    3354 College Road
    Fairbanks, AK
    USA

    (907)451-5020 (voice)
    (907)451-5050 (FAX)
    dggspubs@alaska.gov
    Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays
    Contact_Instructions:
    Please view our website (https://www.dggs.alaska.gov) for the latest information on available data. Please contact us using the e-mail address provided above when possible.

Why was the data set created?

This data supports multiple data products developed by Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS), including the Alaska Mineral Industry Report series (https://dggs.alaska.gov/pubs/minerals). The Alaska Mineral Industry Reports provide summaries of mineral activity in an annual report in accordance with Alaska Statue 27.05.050-060.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    Hofstra, A.H. and Kreiner, D.C., 2020 (source 1 of 2)
    Hofstra, A.H., and Kreiner, D.C., 2020, Systems-deposits-commodities-critical minerals table for the earth mapping resources initiative: Open-File Report OF 2022-1042, U.S. Geological Survey, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 24 p
    Type_of_Source_Media: report
    Source_Contribution: data compilation
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2018 (source 2 of 2)
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2018, Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF): U.S. Geological Survey, Unknown.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: report
    Source_Contribution: data compilation
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2020 (process 1 of 1)
    Data compilation - DGGS annually compiles mineral industry information from past-year statements issued by companies, including press releases and corporate annual and financial reports, as well as phone interviews, replies to questionnaires, and news media articles. Data are merged with USGS ARDF records, assembled into a relational database, pertinent records are flagged for confidentiality, and the mineral system type is interpreted using the classification scheme of Hofstra and Kreiner (2020). DGGS symbolizes the non-confidential, publically available records to display in a statewide interactive map, which is accessible through the DGGS ArcGIS portal. This work is ongoing and expected to continue throughout the source data's useful lifespan. Data sources used in this process:
    • Hofstra, A.H. and Kreiner, D.C., 2020
    • U.S. Geological Survey, 2018
  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?
    This information is self-reported by private owners and companies, compiled from many sources, and is subject to change. Therefore, we caution that the information is intended for graphical display or general information queries. We encourage users to contact DGGS staff with questions or data updates.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Location data are generally from records in Alaska Resource Data File. These data are intended to be utilized at a statewide or generalized regional scale. The geographic extent of each data point varies by feature. Users must recognize location accuracy limitations when zooming in farther than the intended scale.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    DGGS anticipates developing additional products from the database in the future. Data will be updated annually and revised as needed.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Not applicable

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints:
This report, map, and/or dataset is available directly from the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (see contact information below).
Use_Constraints:
Any hard copies or published datasets utilizing these datasets shall clearly indicate their source. If the user has modified the data in any way, the user is obligated to describe the types of modifications the user has made. The user specifically agrees not to misrepresent these datasets, nor to imply that changes made by the user were approved by the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. The State of Alaska makes no express or implied warranties (including warranties for merchantability and fitness) with respect to the character, functions, or capabilities of the electronic data or products or their appropriateness for any user's purposes. In no event will the State of Alaska be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, consequential, or other damages suffered by the user or any other person or entity whether from the use of the electronic services or products or any failure thereof or otherwise. In no event will the State of Alaska's liability to the Requestor or anyone else exceed the fee paid for the electronic service or product.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
    Metadata Manager
    3354 College Road
    Fairbanks, AK
    USA

    (907)451-5020 (voice)
    (907)451-5050 (FAX)
    dggspubs@alaska.gov
    Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays
    Contact_Instructions:
    Please view our website (https://www.dggs.alaska.gov) for the latest information on available data. Please contact us using the e-mail address provided above when possible.
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? DDS 18
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    The State of Alaska makes no expressed or implied warranties (including warranties for merchantability and fitness) with respect to the character, functions, or capabilities of the electronic data or products or their appropriateness for any user's purposes. In no event will the State of Alaska be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, consequential, or other damages suffered by the user or any other person or entity whether from the use of the electronic services or products or any failure thereof or otherwise. In no event will the State of Alaska's liability to the Requestor or anyone else exceed the fee paid for the electronic service or product.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 10-Jun-2022
Metadata author:
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Attn: Simone Montayne
Metadata Manager
3354 College Road
Fairbanks, AK
USA

(907)451-5020 (voice)
(907)451-5050 (FAX)
dggspubs@alaska.gov
Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Fri Jun 10 15:12:18 2022