This site was updated on 31 July 2008.
The newest ARDF publication containing new and revised records is now available (as of 31 July 2008).
Descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) are published for individual U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale quadrangles in Alaska (see accompanying map or table) as USGS Open File Reports and are available for downloading from this site.
These descriptions are divided into fields which describe each mine, prospect, or mineral occurrence. The records in the database are generally for metallic mineral commodities only but also may include certain high value industrial minerals such as barite and rare earth elements. Common industrial minerals such as sand and gravel, crushed stone, and limestone and energy minerals such as peat, coal, oil and gas are not included in this database.
An explanation of the fields used in the database and ARDF reports for individual quadrangles can be viewed or downloaded from this site using software or browsers capable of reading files in the Portable Document Form at (PDF) (see instructions below).
The descriptions in the database were compiled using published literature, unpublished reports and data from various sources including the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the U.S. Geological Survey, and industry. Compilation of this database is an ongoing process and each report is a progress report. We would appreciate comments, corrections or additional information from database users. If one of the incomplete quadrangles is of interest to you, please select it in order to register your interest with the Western Region Mineral Resources Survey .
The ARDF data for the individual quadrangles that have been completed has also been aggregated into a single composite ARDF database that is available in several digital formats.
ARDF data may be downloaded from the Mineral Resource On-Line Spatial Data website for use with Google Earth. From the linked page, click on SELECT DATA (under the “Getting the data” section) this will direct your browser to the data format page. Choose the “Google Earth” file format from the drop-down “choose format” menu, then click on the “Get Data” button. Once you have downloaded the data to your computer, simply double-click on the file and your (previously installed) copy of Google Earth will launch with the ARDF data in view.
View the ARDF metadata.
These Alaska Resource Data Files are downloadable in the Portable Document Format (PDF).
To view and print PDF files, you should download the freeAcrobat Reader
from Adobe. After downloading and installing the Acrobat Reader, you may also configure your browser software to recognize PDF files.
Frederic H. Wilson, Phone: (907) 786-7448; e-mail: fwilson@usgs.gov
Donald J. Grybeck, e-mail: dgrybeck@usgs.gov
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