A polygon Arcview shapefile of northern Nevada
cryptocrystalline occurrences derived from Nevada rockhound
guides and converted to a coverage.
Purpose:
The polygon shapefile was combined with a point shapefile
derived from the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources
Data System (MRDS) to create a preliminary digital map of
cryptocrystalline occurrences of northern Nevada. The
original intent was to identify potential sources of raw
materials for tools used by indigenous people of northern
Nevada. The dataset was created to assist government
agencies and others in making resource management decisions
using geographic information systems (GIS). Uses of the
spatial data set include, but are not limited to, natural
and cultural resource management, interdisciplinary
activities, recreational rockhounding, and gold exploration.
Supplemental_Information:
The primary focus was potential raw material
sites for tools made by native northern Nevadans.
Archaeologists routinely rely on pottery and projectile
points for dating techniques. Since basketry was more
appropriate for the nomadic lifestyle of the native
northern Nevadans, the major dating device for the Great
Basin archaeological sites has been the projectile point.
Preliminary investigation of the types of raw materials
used for tool making by indigenous people of Northern
Nevada led to decisions regarding the kind of occurrences
considered to be cryptocrystalline for this spatial data
set. The rockhound sites were descriptive and not based in
a coordinate system. The ArcView distance-measuring tool
was used to locate the sites in creating the ArcView 3.0
polygon theme, rkhnd.shp. Eighty-two cryptocrystalline
sites were spatially referenced using Nevada 1:100,000
scale digital raster graphic (DRG) maps in UTM projection
as background images (Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology,
1996). Sites were located by measuring described distances
and directions along roads and marking with polygon shapes.
The size of the polygon represents the distributed or
scattered area of the cryptocrystalline material, not the
amount of material. The smooth, symmetrical (rather than
irregular) shape of the polygon reflects the lack of
point-to-point accuracy resulting from the location
descriptions. A REFERENCE field numerically codes location
accuracy in the polygon theme table, rkhnd.dbf. The polygon
TYPE field categorizes the cryptocrystalline material for
each rockhound site, and attribute color-coding corresponds
to the TYPE field in the point theme table. A MRDS point
theme and rockhound polygon theme were combined with an
ARC/INFO coverage of Nevada county boundaries and an
ArcView 3.0 layout was designed at 1:750,000 scale in UTM
Zone 11 map projection. An additional ARC/INFO coverage of
northern Nevada roads was used to create the digital
preliminary map of northern Nevada cryptocrystalline
occurrences.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Multiple_Dates/Times:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 1975
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 1983
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 1989
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 1991
Currentness_Reference: Publication dates of rockhound guide sources
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Unknown
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -120.0252
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -114.4140
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.9792
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.0080
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: geology
Theme_Keyword: non-metallic mineral resources
Theme_Keyword: natural resource exploration
Theme_Keyword: geospatial datasets
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
Theme_Keyword: chalcedony
Theme_Keyword: opal
Theme_Keyword: jasper
Theme_Keyword: chert
Theme_Keyword: obsidian
Theme_Keyword: cutting material
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Categories
Theme_Keyword: geoscientificInformation
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
Place_Keyword: northern Nevada
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Augmented FIPS 10-4 and FIPS 6-4
Place_Keyword: 32031 = Washoe
Place_Keyword: 32027 = Pershing
Place_Keyword: 32013 = Humboldt
Place_Keyword: 32001 = Churchill
Place_Keyword: 32029 = Storey
Place_Keyword: 32033 = White Pine
Place_Keyword: 32015 = Lander
Place_Keyword: 32011 = Eureka
Place_Keyword: 32007 = Elko
Place_Keyword: 32019 = Lyon
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
For use at 1:750,000 scale. Spatial data accuracy varies
greatly due to data sources, and reliance on descriptive
information rather than coordinate locations in rockhound
guides. For some purposes a field check may be advisable.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Reno Field Office
Contact_Person: Lorre A. Moyer
Contact_Position: Geologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: USGS C/O Mackay School of Mines MS-176, University of Nevada
City: Reno
State_or_Province: Nevada
Postal_Code: 89557
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 775-784-5552
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 775-784-5079
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:lorre@usgs.gov
Hours_of_Service: 800-1600 PT
Data_Set_Credit:
Katherine Connors and Gary Raines of the USGS, and Ron Hess of the
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology assisted in the direction and
creation of this data set.
Native_Data_Set_Environment: ArcView version 3.1 shapefile format
Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
Data accuracy varies greatly due to data sources, and
reliance on descriptive information in rockhound guides
(rather than coordinate locations). For some purposes a
field check may be advisable. All attributes created were
verified by display in the spatial database, but no formal
tests were performed.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
These data are believed to be logically consistent,
although no formal tests were performed.
Completeness_Report:
The area of interest was within the northern Nevada state
boundary and bounded in the south by 39 degrees north
lattitude. The cryptocrystalline materials considered were
chalcedony, chert, jasper, opal, obsidian, and
cutting materials.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
No tests or field checks were performed, and accuracy
varies according to description accuracy in the rockhound
guides. Polygon size represents the distribution not
quantity of the crytocrystalline material. The smooth
polygon shape reflects the lack of point to point accuracy
resulting from the location descriptions.
Source_Citation_Abbreviation: mrds shapefile and mrds_crypto coverage
Source_Contribution:
The MRDS point theme was used with a polygon theme shapefile derived
from Nevada rockhound guides to create a preliminary map of northern
Nevada cryptocrystalline occurrences. The original intent was to
identify potential sources of raw materials for tools used by
indigenous people of northern Nevada. The dataset was created to
assist governmental agencies and others in making resource management
decisions through the use of geographic information systems (GIS).
Uses of the spatial data set include, but are not limited to natural,
and cultural resource management, interdisciplinary activities,
recreational rockhounding, and gold exploration.
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The original rockhound descriptions were used to locate
sites using the ArcView distance measuring tool in an
ArcView polygon theme, rkhnd.shp. The Nevada 1:100,000
scale digital raster graphic (DRG) maps were used as a
spatial reference.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Johnson, 1978
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Klein, 1983
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Mitchell, 1991
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Murphy,1975
Process_Date: 1999
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
A point coverage of northern Nevada cryptocrystalline occurrences
extracted from the U.S. Geological Survey's Minerals Resource Data
System (MRDS) and converted into an ArcView shapefile.
Several search strategies were designed to capture records from the
MRDS database that represented cryptocrystalline occurrences. The
following searches of MRDS fields were successful using the MRDS
subsearch editor: NonOre Minerals CONTAINS opal@, chalcedon@,
chert, jasper@ ; Ore Minerals CONTAINS opal@, chalcedon@, Vol@;
CommodPresSort CONTAINS gem@, sil@; Host Rock Type CONTAINS opal@,
chert@, sil@; DepDescComments CONTAINS crypto@; GeologyComments
CONTAINS crypto@, vitr@; USGSModelfirst CONTAINS hot spring@.
Obsidian searches of MRDS provided no additional records. The MRDS
records meeting the search criteria (128) were converted to DBF
files, brought into an ARC/INFO point coverage, projected to UTM
Zone 11, and converted to an ArcView shapefile.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: MRDS, 1995
Process_Date: 1999
Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: mrds shapefile and mrds_crypto coverage
Process_Step:
Process_Description: Creation of original metadata record
Process_Date: 20000622
Process_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Person: Lorre A. Moyer
Contact_Position: Geologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: Mailing and physical address
Address: USGS C/O Mackay School of Mines MS-176, University of Nevada
City: Reno
State_or_Province: Nevada
Postal_Code: 89557
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 775-784-5552
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 775-784-5079
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address:lorre@usgs.gov
Hours_of_Service: 800 - 1600 PT
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
No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as
to the accuracy of the data and related materials. 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.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: ArcView Shapefile
Format_Version_Number: 1.0
File_Decompression_Technique: No compression applied
Format_Information_Content: Site locations and descriptions