Basement domain map of the conterminous United States and Alaska
Links
- More information: USGS Index Page
- Document: Report (11.8 MB pdf)
- Companion File: Downloads Directory Contains: geospatial database. Refer to the Readme and Metadata files for more information.
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The basement-domain map is a compilation of basement domains in the conterminous United States and Alaska designed to be used at 1:5,000,000-scale, particularly as a base layer for national-scale mineral resource assessments. Seventy-seven basement domains are represented as eighty-three polygons on the map. The domains are based on interpretations of basement composition, origin, and architecture and developed from a variety of sources. Analysis of previously published basement, lithotectonic, and terrane maps as well as models of planetary development were used to formulate the concept of basement and the methodology of defining domains that spanned the ages of Archean to present but formed through different processes. The preliminary compilations for the study areas utilized these maps, national-scale gravity and aeromagnetic data, published and limited new age and isotopic data, limited new field investigations, and conventional geologic maps. Citation of the relevant source data for compilations and the source and types of original interpretation, as derived from different types of data, are provided in supporting descriptive text and tables.
The tectonic settings for crustal types represented in the basement domains are subdivided into constituent geologic environments and the types of primary metals endowments and deposits in them are documented. The compositions, architecture, and original metals endowments are potentially important to assessments of primary mineral deposits and to the residence and recycling of metals in the crust of the United States portion of the North American continent. The databases can be configured to demonstrate the construction of the United States through time, to identify specific types of crust, or to identify domains potentially containing metal endowments of specific genetic types or endowed with specific metals. The databases can also be configured to illustrate other purposes chosen by users.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Basement domain map of the conterminous United States and Alaska |
| Series title | Data Series |
| Series number | 898 |
| DOI | 10.3133/ds898 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | Central Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center |
| Description | Report: iv, 41 p.; Downloads Directory |
| Country | United States |
| Scale | 5000000 |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |