HEADWATERS ECONOMICS GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION

TITLE: 
Geodataset Name: 		NA_gsc_prod
Geodataset Type: 		SHAPE
Geodataset Feature: 		POINT

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: 
This data layer includes the locations of all large active gold, silver and copper mining operatoins in western North America.

DATA SOURCE(S):  		U.S. Geological Survey
				B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources

US Scale of Original Source Maps:	1:2,000,000
US Date of Original Source Maps:	2003
BC Scale of Original Source Maps:		Unknown
BC Date of Original Source Maps:		2006

GEODATASET EXTENT:  		Western North America
 
FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES: 
COMMODITY			The mineral(s) and/or metal(s) produced or processed by the facility.
Gold
Silver
Copper

DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY: 
The U.S. data represent commodities monitored by the Minerals Information Team (MIT) of the USGS, and the operations included are those considered active in 2003 and surveyed by the MIT.
The U.S. data set was downloaded from the USGS at http://tin.er.usgs.gov/mineplant and a subset of commodity = gold, silver or copper was used.  Notes:  This data set includes only U.S. mineral and metal operations monitored by the Minerals Information Team of the U.S. Geological Survey and considered currently active in 2003. Aggregates operations are limited to those producing over 30,000 tons per year in 2002.  Placer deposits (gold) in Alaska are not included. Plants are limited to operations considered primary -- those which process a mineral or metal to create the first raw material from which products are made.  Downstream operations (operations that reprocess a raw material into another raw material or final product) and recycling operations are not included.
The B.C. data is from the MINFILE which contains geological, location and economic information on over metallic, industrial mineral mines, deposits and occurrences. The BC data set was downloaded from http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geolsurv/MapPlace/geoData.htm and the item COMMOD_D1 = gold, silver or copper was selected.  To select active mines, the following selections were made: STATUS_D = producer or STATUS_D = developed prospect and PRODUCTN = Y.

The Yukon Territory is not included in this dataset, as there is no comparable layer available.  NWT and Alberta have not been added at this time.

MAP PROJECTION PARAMETERS 
PROJECTION 			ALBERS CONICAL EQUAL AREA
DATUM 				NAD83
UNITS 				METERS
SPHEROID 			GRS1980
PARAMETERS
1st standard parallel		29 30  0.000
2nd standard parallel		45 30  0.000
central meridian		-96 00  0.000
latitude of projection's origin	37 30  0.000
false easting (meters)		0.00000
false northing (meters)		0.00000

DATA SOURCES CONTACT(S): 
Name:			USGS
Address:		987 National Center
       Reston, VA  20192
Web site:		http://tin.er.usgs.gov/mineplant
Contact Person:   Robert Callaghan	
Phone:   		(703) 648-7709
Fax:				
Email:   		rcallaghan@usgs.gov    

Name:			BC Geological Survey, Mining and Minerals Division
Address:		5th Floor, 1810 Blanshard St.
			Victoria, BC V8W 9N3
Web site:		http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geolsurv/Minfile/default.htm 
Contact Person:   	Larry Jones	
Phone:   		(250) 952-0386
Fax:			(250) 952-0381	
Email:   		Larry.Jones@gov.bc.ca

HEADWATERS ECONOMICS CONTACT: 
Name:			Headwaters Economics Geographic Data Library
Abbr. Name:		HEGDL
Address:		Headwaters Economics
                        566 Highland St.
                        Helena, Montana 59601
Web site:		http://www.headwaterseconomics.org
Contact Person:   	Patty Gude	
Phone:   		(406)599-7425	
Email:   		patty@headwaterseconomics.org