================================================================== Mines and Prospects of Idaho ================================================================== Database to the Mies and Prospects of Idaho Compiled by Victoria E. Mitchell, Ruth E. Vance, Earl H. Bennett, and B. Benjamin E. Studer Digital Database 1 in the Digital Data series Version 1.2011.3 January 2011 ------------------------- HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT ------------------------- This ReadMe document will help you get the most out of the database. Please contact us if you should encounter any problems with the database. To view Readme.txt onscreen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window. To print Readme.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, and then use the Print command on the File menu. Includes With this Data Set =========================== 1. Access 2000 data in a relational database (MinesAndProspects2011.mdb) 2. ESRI shape (point) file made from xy event in ArcGIS using the "Mines" table. 3. Metadata in xml and html formats. And separate data dictionary (Data_dictionary_Mines_Prospects_2011.pdf). Table of Contents ================= 1. System Requirements 2. Introduction a. Information Included b. Compilation History 3. Key to Abbreviations used in the Mines and Prospects Digital Database a. References b. Products 4. Total Production Figures 5. Key to the structure of the Mines and Prospects Digital Database 6. Contact Information 1. System Requirements ======================= * Microsoft Access 2000 or higher (works fine in MS Access 2010, ArcGIS 9.3) 2. Introduction ================ The Idaho Geological Survey's (IGS) Mines and Prospects digital database contains information on over 8,800 mining properties in Idaho. This inventory of mining activity and production is a valuable research tool, particularly for mineral exploration and land management. All available sources have been used to compile and correct this information, including published and unpublished reference materials, the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS), and the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Mineral Industry Location Subsystem (MILS). Every effort has been made to make the database complete and accurate; however, any additions or corrections should be directed to the Idaho Geological Survey. Periodic revisions of this database will be issued as new information is added. 2A. Information Included Each mine or prospect is identified by its map location number ("newloc"), which is also the property number in the IGS's mining property files. In the Mines table, the "latitude" and "longitude" fields are the best available location for the property as plotted. New for this verion (1.2011.3), in the Mines table, "lon_WGS84" and "lat_WGS84" fields have been added. These locations are projected to WGS84 for use in Google Map and Google Earth products (see online search tool at: http://www.idahogeology.org/Services/MinesAndMinerals/Search/. Other useful location information(such as county in which the deposit occurs; its township, range, and section; and the land owner) is also shown and updated for this version (1.2011.3). The complete structure of the database is listed in the Data_dictionary_Mines_Prospects_2011.pdf file. The References field originally contained the single reference with the best information for spatially locating the property. Ongoing updates are slowly expanding the references for each property. These and other changes are recorded in the Z-updates field, which documents each change made to the database. If more detailed comments are needed, these are to be bound in the Annotations field. Production figures were compiled from U.S. Bureau of Mines' unpublished records. For lode mines, the total amounts of ore produced and old tailings reprocessed (if any) are reported in tons; where tailings were reprocessed, these numbers are listed after a slash (i.e., ore/tailings). For placer mines, the production is given in yards of material processed. Production tonnage (or yardage) is most useful for determining the relative size of a deposit. For an individual deposit, caution should be used in comparing the tons of ore or yards of gravel mined with the metals obtained from the ore, because for some years the total amount (tons or yards) mined may be unknown or the data may be incomplete. For the commodities, gold and silver are in troy ounces; copper, lead, and zinc are in pounds. Reliable production data are not available for other commodities. To protect mining company confidentiality, single letters represent broad ranges in the amounts of ore and commodities produced (see below). For comparison purposes, each entry contains selected fields from the U.S. Bureau of Mines MILS database and the U.S. Geological Survey's MRDS database. This is information taken from the 1991 version of these databases and has not been compared with the current online version of the combined databases (http://mrdata.usgs.gov/mineral-resources/mrds-us.html). The MILS and MRDS databases should remain unchanged and are used simply as a reference in this database. 2B. Compilation History. The first editions of the Mines and Prospects Map Series were funded jointly under contracts and cooperative agreements between the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology (now the Idaho Geological Survey) and the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (now defunct), the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. For the second editions, the maps and property listings incorporated corrections and new data accumulated since the original maps were published. This revision was done as part of the Idaho Initiative Mapping Program, a cooperative research project between the Idaho Geological Survey, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Preparation of these digital publications is an on going process. The compilers for the various editions of the Mines and Prospects for Idaho were Victoria E. Mitchell, Ruth E. Vance, William B. Strowd, Gail S. Hustedde, Julie A. Copeland, Margaret H. Ott, and Earl H. Bennett. The original Mines and Prospects Map Series was compiled by referring to the best available reference for a site (preferably a map) and cross-checking that location against the information in MILS and MRDS. One opening was selected to represent each mine, and points were plotted as accurately as possibly on 1:250,000 maps. Each dot used to plot a site covered about a quarter of a section. When these maps were digitized, the accuracy of each point was 0.25 miles (400 m) or less. In 1994, the Idaho Geological Survey began the first of a series of field programs in co-operation with the U.S. Forest Service (Regions 1 and 4) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to inspect inactive and abandoned mines in Idaho. These programs ran through 2005, and the results of most of them have been published as Idaho Geological Survey Staff Reports. When a site was visited, a detailed map of the site's features was made on a 1:24,000 map. The location of the largest and/or most significant feature was later digitized and updated into the database. Some of the later studies included the use of GPS units; these locations were entered directly into the database. In 2008 in a project funded by the USGS under the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, the Idaho Geological Survey began updating the locations of all the properties for which it has a mineral property file. These updated locations were plotted in National Geographic's TOPO! program at a scale of 1:24,000. The improved coordinates were then uploaded into the database. Additional updating work is ongoing. The data are current to the date on the version. 3. Key to Abbreviations used in the Mines and Prospects Digital Database ========================================= 3A. References 1. Agency BLM - U.S. Bureau of Land Management DOE - U.S. Department of Energy DMA - Defense Minerals Administration DMEA - Defense Minerals Exploration Administration IBMG - Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology IGS - Idaho Geological Survey MSHA - Mining Safety and Health Administration OME - Office of Mineral Exploration USBM - U. S. Bureau of Mines USDA - U. S. Department of Agriculture USFS - U. S. Forest Service USGS - U. S. Geological Survey WFOC - Western Field Operations Center 2. Publication B - Bulletin CR - County Report IC - Information Circular MILS - Mineral Inventory Location Subsystem MLA - Mineral Land Assessment MPF - Mineral Property File MRDS - Mineral Resources Data System OFR - Open-File Report P - Pamphlet PP - Professional Paper RI - Report of Investigation SR - Special Report 3B. Products 1. Metallic Ag - silver Au - gold Ba - barium Be - beryllium Bi - bismuth Ca - calcium Cd - cadmium Ce - cerium Co - cobalt Cu - copper Fe - iron Hg - mercury Mg - magnesium Mn - manganese Mo - molybdenum Nb - niobium Ni - nickel P - phosphorous Pb - lead Pt - platinum PGM - platinum group metals RE - rare earths Sb - antimony Si - silica Sn - tin Th - thorium Ti - titanium U - uranium V - vanadium W - tungsten Yt - yttrium Zn - zinc Zr - zirconium 2. Nonmetallic abr - abrasives bar - barite bk-sd - black sand cal - calcite cin - cinnabar cly - clay coal - coal cor - corundum dit - diatomaceous earth dol - dolomite eva - evaporites fld - feldspar F - fluorite gar - garnet gas - gas gem - gemstones graph - graphite gyp - gypsum lst - limestone mic - mica mon - monazite oil - oil opl - opal perl - perlite pho - phosphate pum - pumice qtz - quartz S - sulfur sil - silica stn - stone Ta - tantalum vol - volcanic rocks zeo - zeolites 4. Total Production Figures ============================ The following alphabet is used to protect the confidentiality of the production figures for the mines where data are known. These values are also included in the "ProductionCodes" table in the database. The amounts are given, as applicable, in ounces, pounds, tons, or yards. A - less than 50 B - 51-100 C - 101-500 D - 501-1,000 E - 1,001-5,000 F - 5,001-10,000 G - 10,001-50,000 H - 50,001-100,000 I - 100,001-500,000 J - 500,001-2,000,000 K - 2,000,001-4,000,000 L - 4,000,001-6,000,000 M - 6,000,001-8,000,000 N - 8,000,001-10,000,000 O - 10,000,001-12,000,000 P - 12,000,001-15,000,000 Q - 15,000,001-20,000,000 R - 20,000,001-30,000,000 S - 30,000,001-40,000,000 T - 40,000,001-50,000,000 U - 50,000,001-75,000,000 V - 75,000,001-100,000,000 W - 100,000,001-150,000,000 X - 150,000,001-200,000,000 Y - 200,000,001-250,000,000 Z - 250,000,001-300,000,000 AA - 300,000,001-500,000,000 BB - 500,000,001-750,000,000 CC - 750,000,001-1,000,000,000 DD - 1,000,000,001-1,500,000,000 EE - 1,500,000,001-2,000,000,000 FF - 2,000,000,001-3,000,000,000 GG - 3,000,000,001-4,000,000,000 HH - 4,000,000,001-5,000,000,000 5. Key to the (revised format) structure of the Mines and Prospects Digital Database ============================================== The details for the fields, as well as the relationships, are available by viewing the accompanying "Data_dictionary_Mines_Prospects_2011.pdf" file. 6. Contact Information: ======================== To report bugs, discrepancies, or problems, please contact: Idaho Geological Survey ATTN: Victoria E. Mitchell Morrill Hall Third Floor University of Idaho P.O. Box 443014 Moscow, Idaho 83844-3014 E-mail: vmitchel@uidaho.edu Idaho Geological Survey Web Site http://www.idahogeology.org Idaho Geological Survey E-Mail: igs@uidaho.edu ================================================ ====================== This readme file was last updated 02-09-2011 for Digital Database 1, version .