Mineral groups identified through automated analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to generate a map showing the type and spatial distribution of hydrothermal alteration, other exposed mineral groups, and green vegetation across the northwestern conterminous United States. Boolean algebra was used to combine mineral groups identified through analysis of visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared ASTER data into attributed alteration types and mineral classes based on common mineralogical definitions of such types and the minerals present within the mineral groups. Alteration types modeled in this way can be stratified relative to acid producing and neutralizing potential to aid in geoenvironmental watershed studies. This mapping was performed in support of multidisciplinary studies involving the predictive modeling of mineral deposit occurrence and geochemical environments at watershed to regional scales. These studies seek to determine the relative effects of mining and non-anthropogenic hydrothermal alteration on watershed surface water geochemistry and faunal populations. The presence or absence of hydrothermally-altered rocks and (or) specific mineral groups can be used to model the favorability of occurrence of certain types of mineral deposits, and aid in the delineation of permissive tracts for these deposits. These data were used as a data source for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA). This map, in ERDAS Imagine (.img) format, has been attributed by pixel value with material identification data that can be queried in most image processing and GIS software packages. Three files are included with this product: file with .img extension contains thematic image attributes and geographic projection data, file with .ige extension contains the raster data, and the file with .rrd extension includes pyramid data for fast display.

Mineral groups identified through automated analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to generate a map showing the type and spatial distribution of hydrothermal alteration, other exposed mineral groups, and green vegetation across the southwestern conterminous United States. Boolean algebra was used to combine mineral groups identified through analysis of visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared ASTER data into attributed alteration types and mineral classes based on common mineralogical definitions of such types and the minerals present within the mineral groups. Alteration types modeled in this way can be stratified relative to acid producing and neutralizing potential to aid in geoenvironmental watershed studies. This mapping was performed in support of multidisciplinary studies involving the predictive modeling of mineral deposit occurrence and geochemical environments at watershed to regional scales. These studies seek to determine the relative effects of mining and non-anthropogenic hydrothermal alteration on watershed surface water geochemistry and faunal populations. The presence or absence of hydrothermally-altered rocks and (or) specific mineral groups can be used to model the favorability of occurrence of certain types of mineral deposits, and aid in the delineation of permissive tracts for these deposits. These data were used as a data source for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA). This map, in ERDAS Imagine (.img) format, has been attributed by pixel value with material identification data that can be queried in most image processing and GIS software packages. Three files are included with this product: file with .img extension contains thematic image attributes and geographic projection data, file with .ige extension contains the raster data, and the file with .rrd extension includes pyramid data for fast display.

Mineral groups identified through automated analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to generate a map showing the type and spatial distribution of hydrothermal alteration, other exposed mineral groups, and green vegetation across the southwestern conterminous United States. Boolean algebra was used to combine mineral groups identified through analysis of visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared ASTER data into attributed alteration types and mineral classes based on common mineralogical definitions of such types and the minerals present within the mineral groups. Alteration types modeled in this way can be stratified relative to acid producing and neutralizing potential to aid in geoenvironmental watershed studies. This mapping was performed in support of multidisciplinary studies involving the predictive modeling of mineral deposit occurrence and geochemical environments at watershed to regional scales. These studies seek to determine the relative effects of mining and non-anthropogenic hydrothermal alteration on watershed surface water geochemistry and faunal populations. The presence or absence of hydrothermally-altered rocks and (or) specific mineral groups can be used to model the favorability of occurrence of certain types of mineral deposits, and aid in the delineation of permissive tracts for these deposits. These data were used as a data source for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA). This map, in ERDAS Imagine (.img) format, has been attributed by pixel value with material identification data that can be queried in most image processing and GIS software packages. Three files are included with this product: file with .img extension contains thematic image attributes and geographic projection data, file with .ige extension contains the raster data, and the file with .rrd extension includes pyramid data for fast display.

Mineral groups identified through automated analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to generate a map showing the type and spatial distribution of hydrothermal alteration, other exposed mineral groups, and green vegetation across the southwestern conterminous United States. Boolean algebra was used to combine mineral groups identified through analysis of visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared ASTER data into attributed alteration types and mineral classes based on common mineralogical definitions of such types and the minerals present within the mineral groups. Alteration types modeled in this way can be stratified relative to acid producing and neutralizing potential to aid in geoenvironmental watershed studies. This mapping was performed in support of multidisciplinary studies involving the predictive modeling of mineral deposit occurrence and geochemical environments at watershed to regional scales. These studies seek to determine the relative effects of mining and non-anthropogenic hydrothermal alteration on watershed surface water geochemistry and faunal populations. The presence or absence of hydrothermally-altered rocks and (or) specific mineral groups can be used to model the favorability of occurrence of certain types of mineral deposits, and aid in the delineation of permissive tracts for these deposits. These data were used as a data source for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA). This map, in ERDAS Imagine (.img) format, has been attributed by pixel value with material identification data that can be queried in most image processing and GIS software packages. Three files are included with this product: file with .img extension contains thematic image attributes and geographic projection data, file with .ige extension contains the raster data, and the file with .rrd extension includes pyramid data for fast display.

This release contains geospatial data digitized from the Map Showing Geology, Structure, and Oil and Gas Fields in the Sterling 1x2 Degree Quadrangle, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas (Scott, 1978) and was compiled as part of the National Geologic Synthesis project. The geospatial data depicts the geology of this quadrangle, which is dominated by Quaternary alluvial and aeolian deposits overlying Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary rock, including the Ogallala formation, the Fox Hills sandstone, and the Pierre shale. The included database includes spatial data depicting the locations of mapped geologic contacts and faults, polygons denoting the mapped surficial extent of geologic formations, and structural contours denoting the depth to the top of the D sandstone of the Dakota Group. The database also contains non-spatial tables, including a list of data sources, a description of map units, a glossary of terms, and a data dictionary.

This release contains geospatial data digitized from the Map Showing Geology, Structure, and Oil and Gas Fields in the Sterling 1x2 Degree Quadrangle, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas (Scott, 1978) and was compiled as part of the National Geologic Synthesis project. The geospatial data depicts the geology of this quadrangle, which is dominated by Quaternary alluvial and aeolian deposits overlying Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary rock, including the Ogallala formation, the Fox Hills sandstone, and the Pierre shale. The included database includes spatial data depicting the locations of mapped geologic contacts and faults, polygons denoting the mapped surficial extent of geologic formations, and structural contours denoting the depth to the top of the D sandstone of the Dakota Group. The database also contains non-spatial tables, including a list of data sources, a description of map units, a glossary of terms, and a data dictionary.

This digital dataset release of the Tectonic Map of the Colorado Plateau is a courtesy publication of the previously published legacy report by V.C. Kelley in 1955. The original publication, "Tectonic Map of the Colorado Plateau Showing Uranium Deposits" contains elevation contours from the top of the Chinle formation in 1000 ft intervals and geologic structural formations such as monoclinal, synclinal, and anticlinal structures. The digitizing of this map is to provide a more accessible dataset to be available for public usage. The original dataset was in relation to a larger project by the University of New Mexico and their publications in geology of uranium distributions throughout the Colorado Plateau (Kelley, V.C., 1955, Regional tectonics of the Colorado Plateau and relationship to the origin and distribution of uranium: Albuquerque, University of New Mexico, Publications in Geology no. 5, 120 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.). The entirety of this dataset includes both spatial and non-spatial data held in a singular, GeMS compliant geodatabase. This geodatabase includes a geologic map feature dataset holding fault lines, iso value lines, structure contours, and other geologic lines; nonspatial data recorded in standalone tables such as a description of map units, glossary, data source reference, geomaterials dictionary, and their entities and attributes. Data source references include web links to published standards, data dictionaries, and any other referenced data within the published map. There is a final nonspatial table that is in reference to the original digitized and identified geologic structures per the legacy map plate, these structures were broken up by state (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) with each structure given a numerical value (starting at 1, for each individual state) these structures were compiled into a synchronous excel document to provide a digital record of those structures and features listed on the legacy map plate.

This digital dataset release of the Tectonic Map of the Colorado Plateau is a courtesy publication of the previously published legacy report by V.C. Kelley in 1955. The original publication, "Tectonic Map of the Colorado Plateau Showing Uranium Deposits" contains elevation contours from the top of the Chinle formation in 1000 ft intervals and geologic structural formations such as monoclinal, synclinal, and anticlinal structures. The digitizing of this map is to provide a more accessible dataset to be available for public usage. The original dataset was in relation to a larger project by the University of New Mexico and their publications in geology of uranium distributions throughout the Colorado Plateau (Kelley, V.C., 1955, Regional tectonics of the Colorado Plateau and relationship to the origin and distribution of uranium: Albuquerque, University of New Mexico, Publications in Geology no. 5, 120 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.). The entirety of this dataset includes both spatial and non-spatial data held in a singular, GeMS compliant geodatabase. This geodatabase includes a geologic map feature dataset holding fault lines, iso value lines, structure contours, and other geologic lines; nonspatial data recorded in standalone tables such as a description of map units, glossary, data source reference, geomaterials dictionary, and their entities and attributes. Data source references include web links to published standards, data dictionaries, and any other referenced data within the published map. There is a final nonspatial table that is in reference to the original digitized and identified geologic structures per the legacy map plate, these structures were broken up by state (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) with each structure given a numerical value (starting at 1, for each individual state) these structures were compiled into a synchronous excel document to provide a digital record of those structures and features listed on the legacy map plate.

Multispectral remote sensing data acquired by Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor were analyzed using an automated technique to generate surficial mineralogy and vegetation maps of the conterminous western United States. Six spectral indices (e.g. band-ratios), highlighting distinct spectral absorptions, were developed to aid in the identification of mineral groups in exposed rocks, soils, mine waste rock, and mill tailings across the landscape. The data are centered on the Western U.S. and cover portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Canada-U.S. border, and the Mexico-U.S. border during the summers of 2013 – 2014. Methods used to process the images and algorithms used to infer mineralogical composition of surficial materials are detailed in Rockwell and others (2021) and were similar to those developed by Rockwell (2012; 2013). Final maps are provided as ERDAS IMAGINE (.img) thematic raster images and contain pixel values representing mineral and vegetation group classifications. Rockwell, B.W., 2012, Description and validation of an automated methodology for mapping mineralogy, vegetation, and hydrothermal alteration type from ASTER satellite imagery with examples from the San Juan Mountains, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3190, 35 p. pamphlet, 5 map sheets, scale 1:100,000, http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2769.9365. Rockwell, B.W., 2013, Automated mapping of mineral groups and green vegetation from Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery with an example from the San Juan Mountains, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3252, 25 p. pamphlet, 1 map sheet, scale 1:325,000, http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2507.7925. Rockwell, B.W., Gnesda, W.R., and Hofstra, A.H., 2021, Improved automated identification and mapping of iron sulfate minerals, other mineral groups, and vegetation from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager Data: San Juan Mountains, Colorado, and Four Corners Region: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3466, scale 1:325,000, 51 p. pamphlet, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3466/.

Multispectral remote sensing data acquired by Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor were analyzed using an automated technique to generate surficial mineralogy and vegetation maps of the conterminous western United States. Six spectral indices (e.g. band-ratios), highlighting distinct spectral absorptions, were developed to aid in the identification of mineral groups in exposed rocks, soils, mine waste rock, and mill tailings across the landscape. The data are centered on the Western U.S. and cover portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Canada-U.S. border, and the Mexico-U.S. border during the summers of 2013 – 2014. Methods used to process the images and algorithms used to infer mineralogical composition of surficial materials are detailed in Rockwell and others (2021) and were similar to those developed by Rockwell (2012; 2013). Final maps are provided as ERDAS IMAGINE (.img) thematic raster images and contain pixel values representing mineral and vegetation group classifications. Rockwell, B.W., 2012, Description and validation of an automated methodology for mapping mineralogy, vegetation, and hydrothermal alteration type from ASTER satellite imagery with examples from the San Juan Mountains, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3190, 35 p. pamphlet, 5 map sheets, scale 1:100,000, http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2769.9365. Rockwell, B.W., 2013, Automated mapping of mineral groups and green vegetation from Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery with an example from the San Juan Mountains, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3252, 25 p. pamphlet, 1 map sheet, scale 1:325,000, http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2507.7925. Rockwell, B.W., Gnesda, W.R., and Hofstra, A.H., 2021, Improved automated identification and mapping of iron sulfate minerals, other mineral groups, and vegetation from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager Data: San Juan Mountains, Colorado, and Four Corners Region: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3466, scale 1:325,000, 51 p. pamphlet, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3466/.