U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
                BRANCH OF ATLANTIC MARINE GEOLOGY

                      SEDIMENT DATABASE

     This database contains data on collection, location, description, and
texture of samples taken by the marine sampling programs of the Branch of 
Atlantic Marine Geology of the U.S. Geological Survey.  Most of the samples 
are from the Atlantic Continental Margin of the United States, but some 
are from as diverse locations as Lake Baikal, Russia, the Hawaiian Islands
region, Puerto Rico, the Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Michigan.  The database
contains data for about 12,000 samples and includes texture data for 
approximately 2300 samples taken or analyzed by the Atlantic Continental 
Margin Program, a joint U.S. Geological Survey/Woods Hole Oceanographic 
Institution project conducted from 1962 to 1970. This program was under 
the direction of K.O. Emery from 1962 to 1968, and the data were 
originally reported in Hathaway (WHOI Report 71-15, 1971).  

     Texture data for approximately 8000 samples analyzed by the Sediment 
Laboratory of the Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology of the U.S. Geological 
Survey, Woods Hole MA. after 1980 are also included. Considerable data 
from the period 1970 to 1980 are yet to be digitized and added. 

   The files in this subdirectory, PCZGROUP, contain the same data as the
other directories, but as self-extracting compressed files.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

    This database is in "flat file" form, which means that it is not 
"normalized". While this is considered inefficient from the point of view 
of database management, it is the simplest way of presenting the basic data.  
Since I know neither the software capabilities of the user nor the 
probable uses that may be made of the data, I have made no attempt to split 
the files to reduce blank regions or remove redundancies. 
The same data may be presented in more than one form, e.g.: phi class 
frequencies and cumulative frequencies. Even though each form can be derived 
from the other, presenting both eliminates the need for the user to program  
formulas to calculate one from the other.  Although this may violate the 
principal of having a single entry for any given data item, it greatly 
simplifies the use of the file.  If the user wishes to make the data base 
more efficient through "normalization", I feel that it is better that this 
be done by the user to fit both the applications available to the user and 
the database structural logic that is familiar to the user.  The price paid 
for the "flat file" approach is additional storage space, rather wide  
records, and the possibility that corrections made here at the source may
fail to be carried through to all forms of the data affected.  We will 
make every effort to see that this last possibility does not happen.

    See file STRUCTUR.DOC for description of the files and their data.

1/ The use of trade names in this document is for illustrative purpose 
only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey.

                       USE OF THE FILES

IF YOU HAVE A DOS/WINDOWS COMPATIBLE COMPUTER, USE THIS DIRECTORY, PCZGROUP,
OR DIRECTORY PDXGROUP IF PARADOX IS AVAILABLE

    If an IBM compatible computer using DOS is available, the user can
download the compressed files in the PCZGROUP subdirectory.  
 
    1) If quotation mark delimited and comma separated data are
       applicable to the software available to the user, download 
       the SEDELCSV.EXE (1.5Mb) file.  The data and headings files 
       can then be obtained by typing the command SEDELCSV  (without 
       the .EXE extension) This will cause two compressed file to 
       self-extract.
       Do not do this until you have downloaded the .EXE file to your 
       computer.  Disk space required by the expanded files will be 6 
       to 7 megabytes.

    2) If tab delimited data and headings are desired, download the 
       SEDELTSV.EXE (1.5Mb) file.  The data and headings files in 
       this format can then be obtained by typing the command SEDELTSV.   
       This will cause two compressed file to self-extract.  
       Do not do this until you have downloaded the .EXE file to your 
       computer.  Disk space required by the expanded files will be 6 
       to 7 megabytes.

     However, if an application which can use .db format database files 
is available, and you wish to use the data already in such database form 
you may download the file SEDPDOX.EXE (2.3 Mb) from the PDXGROUP 
subdirectory.
     See the README.1ST file in that subdirectory.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

     Contact:
                  Polly Hastings
                  U.S. Geological Survey
                  384 Woods Hole Road
                  Quissett Campus 
                  Woods Hole, MA 02540-1598
                  
                  Tel. 508 457 2289
                  e-mail phastings@nobska.er.usgs.gov
                                or
                         jhathaway@nobska.er.usgs.gov


This database was assembled by John C. Hathaway, Geologist Emeritus, 
U.S. Geological Survey, and is now managed by Polly Hastings

Version of
March 7, 1994

                              DISCLAIMER

This database, identified as Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology Sediment 
Database, has been approved for release and publication by the Director 
of the  USGS. Although this database has been subjected to rigorous review 
and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the 
data pursuant to further analysis and review.  Furthermore, it is released 
on condition that neither the USGS nor the United States Government may be 
held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized 
use. 

                                 END