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. 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. This subdirectory, PDXGROUP, contains: SEDIMENT.EXE A self-extracting compressed group of files in .DB (Paradox)1/ format and accompanying family files used by Paradox File SEDIMENT.DB which is one of the compressed files contains the database and is compatible with Paradox 3.5 and later versions. The other compressed files are used automatically by the appropriate versions of Paradox, including Paradox for Windows, for formatting and displaying the data. They contain no data usable directly by the user; they are used to provide Paradox with table format and color information. SEDSAMPL.DB An uncompressed file of about 25 rows of the above database as a sample for the user to test the applicability of the user's software to the format of the database. 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 You may test your database software to see if it will read the .db format used in these files by first downloading the small sample database file SEDSAMPL.DB and opening it with your database management application. If your application can use .db format database files, download the file SEDPDOX.EXE (2.3 Mb) from the PDXGROUP subdirectory. After the file is in your computer, type SEDPDOX as a command and a group of .db compatible files will self-extract. They will require about 26 megabytes of hard disk space. Use your database management software to query or view the database. 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 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