The Alaska Resource Data Files


Kennecott Mine, A National Historic Landmark in Wrangell St. Elias National Park


This page updated 5 August 2004.

Descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) are published for individual U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale quadrangles in Alaska (see accompanying map or table) as USGS Open File Reports and are available for downloading from this site.

These descriptions are divided into fields which describe each mine, prospect, or mineral occurrence. The records in the database are generally for metallic mineral commodities only but also may include certain high value industrial minerals such as barite and rare earth elements. Common industrial minerals such as sand and gravel, crushed stone, and limestone and energy minerals such as peat, coal, oil and gas are not included in this database.

An explanation of the fields used in the database and ARDF reports for individual quadrangles can be viewed or downloaded from this site using software or browsers capable of reading files in the Portable Document Form at (PDF) (see instructions below).

The descriptions in the database were compiled using published literature, unpublished reports and data from various sources including the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the U.S. Geological Survey, and industry. Compilation of this database is an ongoing process and each report is a progress report. We would appreciate comments, corrections or additional information from database users. If one of the incomplete quadrangles is of interest to you, please select it in order to register your interest with the Western Region Mineral Resources Survey .

View the ARDF metadata.

The ARDF data for the individual quadrangles that have been completed has also been aggregated into a single composite ARDF database that is available in several digital formats.

These Alaska Resource Data Files are downloadable in the Portable Document Format (PDF). To view and print PDF files, you should download the freeAcrobat Reader from Adobe. After downloading and installing the Acrobat Reader, you may also configure your browser software to recognize PDF files.

For further information on ARDF contact:
Frederic H. Wilson, Phone: (907) 786-7448; e-mail: fwilson@usgs.gov
Donald J. Grybeck, e-mail: dgrybeck@usgs.gov

ARDF Home | Quad Map | Quad Table

<URL:http://ardf.wr.usgs.gov/welcome.html>
Page maintainer: ARDF@usgs.gov