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Mineral-resource data bases

January 1, 1997

Data bases are essential for modern
scientific research. The new and exciting
work being done in the Mineral Resource
Program in the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) usually begins with the question,
"Where are the known deposits?" A
mineral-resource data base containing
this type of information and more can be
useful not just to USGS scientists, but to
anyone who needs such data. Users of the
data bases from outside the USGS
include mining and exploration
companies, environmental groups,
academia, other Federal Agencies, and
the general public.
At present, the USGS has two large
mineral-resource data bases, MRDS
(Mineral Resource Data System) and
MAS (Minerals Availability System).
MRDS was built and is mamtained by the
USGS, and MAS was built and
maintained by the Bureau of Mines. In
1996, after the Bureau was abolished,
MAS was transferred to the USGS.
The two data bases were compiled for
different purposes and contain very
different mformation. For instance, MAS
contains information on costs, details of
mining methods, and feasibility studies.
MRDS has mineralogical and geologic
data that are not contained in MAS. Because they are both mineral-resource
data bases, however, they contain some information in common, such as location,
name(s) of sites, and commodities
present.
Both data bases are international in
scope, and both are quite large. MRDS
contains over 110,000 records, while
MAS has over 220,000. One reason that
MAS has more records is that it contains
information on smelters, mill sites, and
fossil fuel sites, as well as mineral- resource sites. The USGS is working to
combine the information in both data
bases. This is a large undertaking that
will require some years to complete. In
the interim, information from both data
bases will still be available

Publication Year 1997
Title Mineral-resource data bases
DOI 10.3133/fs07697
Authors
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Fact Sheet
Series Number 076-97
Index ID fs07697
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse