The United States Polar Rock Repository: A geological resource for the Earth science community

The United States Polar Rock Repository (USPRR) is a U. S. national facility designed for the permanent
curatorial preservation of rock samples, along with associated materials such as field notes, annotated air photos and
maps, raw analytic data, paleomagnetic cores, ground rock and mineral residues, thin sections, and microfossil mounts,
microslides and residues from Polar areas. This facility was established by the Office of Polar Programs at the U. S.
National Science Foundation (NSF) to minimize redundant sample collecting, and also because the extreme cold and
hazardous field conditions make fieldwork costly and difficult. The repository provides, along with an on-line database
of sample information, an essential resource for proposal preparation, pilot studies and other sample based research that
should make fieldwork more efficient and effective. This latter aspect should reduce the environmental impact of
conducting research in sensitive Polar Regions. The USPRR also provides samples for educational outreach. Rock
samples may be borrowed for research or educational purposes as well as for museum exhibits.