Samples collected along transects off the Eastern United States in 1938 (STETSON38 shapefile)

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Samples collected along transects off the Eastern United States in 1938 (STETSON38 shapefile)
Abstract:
This study was undertaken to provide information on the characteristics and distribution of surficial sediments off the eastern United States. Accordingly, long traverses were run across the continental shelf and in most case carrying over the shelf break. This data set includes data from those 9 traverses which were conducted north of Virginia. These data constitute the first systematic sampling of the U.S. Atlantic margin to show the effects of environmental factors (e.g. increasing distance from shore, water depth) on the sediment distribution. Sampling was performed with a primitive grab sampler; navigational methods were not discussed in this report.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Poppe, Lawrence J., 2003, Samples collected along transects off the Eastern United States in 1938 (STETSON38 shapefile): Open-File Report 03-001, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Poppe, L.J., Paskevich, V.F., Williams, S.J., Hastings, M.E., Kelley, J.T., Belknap, D.F., Ward, L.G., Fitzgerald, D.M., and Larsen, P.F., 2003, Surficial Sediment Data from the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and vicinity: a GIS Compilation: Open-File Report 03-001, U. S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 CD-ROM
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.033330
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -69.636670
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.811170
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.816670
  3. What does it look like?
    http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-001/data/seddata/stetson38/stetson38-thumb.gif (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing extent and distribution of data layer coverage.
    http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-001/data/seddata/stetson38/stetson38.gif (GIF)
    Image map showing extent and distribution of data layer coverage.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 1938
    Currentness_Reference:
    publication date
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Entity point (225)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1927.
      The ellipsoid used is Clarke 1866.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378206.400000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/294.978698.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    stetson.dbf
    Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)
    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI) Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI) Coordinates defining the features.
    PROJECT_ID
    Project id assigned to the dataset for future identification. (Source: Compiler)
    ValueDefinition
    STETSON1938Scientist and year of data publication.
    SERIES_ID
    Number assigned to a transect along which samples were collected. (Source: H.C. Stetson)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:9
    Units:integer count
    Resolution:1
    SAMPLE_ID
    Number assigned sequentially to each sample along a transect. (Source: H.C. Stetson) Character string containing numeric identifier and sub-identifier
    LATITUDE
    Latitude coordinate of sample location (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:37.81667
    Maximum:42.81117
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:.00001
    LONGITUDE
    Longitude of sample location (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-75.03337
    Maximum:-69.63667
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:.00001
    DEPTH
    Water depth in meters at sample location. (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:5.0
    Maximum:680.0
    Units:meters
    Resolution:0.1
    GRAVEL
    Percent gravel in the sample (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0
    Maximum:77.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    SAND
    Percent sand in the sample. (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2.0
    Maximum:100.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    SILT
    Percent of silt in the sample. (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0
    Maximum:70.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    CLAYX
    Percent of clay fraction coarser than 0.1 micrometers. (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0
    Maximum:25.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    COLLOID
    Percent of the clay fraction that is colloidal (less than 0.1 micrometers) (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0
    Maximum:26.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    CLAY
    Percent of the entire clay fraction. (Source: Scientist)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0
    Maximum:51.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    TOTAL
    Total of the gravel, sand, silt, and clay percentages (used to check that all material was accounted for). (Source: Compiler)
    Range of values
    Minimum:100.0
    Maximum:100.0
    Units:percent
    Resolution:0.1
    CLASSIFICA
    Sediment classification according to the scheme devised by Shepard (1954) (Source: L.J. Poppe)
    ValueDefinition
    CLAYEY SANDclayey sand content
    CLAYEY SILTclayey silt content
    GRAVELgravel content
    GRAVELLY SEDIMENTgravelly sediment content
    SANDsand content
    SAND SILT CLAYsand silt clay content
    SANDY SILTsandy silt content
    SILTY CLAYsilty clay content
    SILTY SANDsilty sand content
    Character string containing the verbal equivalents of the classification scheme.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Lawrence J. Poppe
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Please view the cross reference information for the original data set credit to H.C. Stetson. Larry Poppe for entering the data from the source report and creating the ArcView shapefile.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Lawrence J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The purpose of this data layer is to release a digital version of the textural data generated from sediments collected as part of Stetson's research during the 1930's. This digital version comprises part of a USGS sand and gravel assessment of the NY Bight, Gulf of Maine, and Georges Bank.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    stetson.txt (source 1 of 1)
    Stetson, H.C., 1938, The sediments of the continental shelf off the eastern coast of the United States: Papers in Physical Oceanography and Meteorology v. 5, no. 4, MIT and WHOI, Cambridge and Woods Hole.

    Type_of_Source_Media: paper
    Source_Contribution:
    Summarized tabular data from the report were converted to an ASCII text file.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 28-Aug-2002 (process 1 of 5)
    The source information was manually entered into digital form and was imported from an ASCII text file to an ArcView table. The table was later converted to an event theme in ArcView and saved as the final shapefile. Person who carried out this activity:
    Lawrence J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov
    Data sources used in this process:
    • stetson.txt
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • stetson38.shp
    • stetson38.dbf
    • stetson38.shx
    Date: 02-Dec-2015 (process 2 of 5)
    Edits to the metadata were made to fix any errors that MP v 2.9.32 flagged. This is necessary to enable the metadata to be successfully harvested for various data catalogs. In some cases, this meant adding text "Information unavailable" or "Information unavailable from original metadata" for those required fields that were left blank. Other minor edits were probably performed (title, publisher, publication place, etc.). Minor fixes to the attribute format for some attributes was needed. The metadata date (but not the metadata creator) was edited to reflect the date of these changes. The metadata available from a harvester may supersede metadata bundled within a download file. Compare the metadata dates to determine which metadata file is most recent. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 20-Jul-2018 (process 3 of 5)
    USGS Thesaurus keywords added to the keyword section. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 18-Nov-2019 (process 4 of 5)
    Crossref DOI link was added as the first link in the metadata. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 08-Sep-2020 (process 5 of 5)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Stetson, H.C., 1938, The sediments of the continental shelf off the eastern coast of the United States: Papers in Physical Oceanography and Meteorology v.4, no. 5, MIT and WHOI, Cambridge and Woods Hole.

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    All attributes were entered and checked by the compilers in a consistent manner.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    No navigational methods are provided in the original publication. Horizontal accuracy is unknown.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    Tides are less than 2 m.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Sample locations, grain-size data, and verbal classifications are provided for 225 stations.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    No additional checks for topological consistency were performed on this data.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the source of this information.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    Lawrence J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Downloadable Data
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Although these data have been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey as to the accuracy of the data. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
    • Availability in digital form:
      Data format: Five files (stetson38.dbf, stetson38.shp, stetson38.shx, stetson38.sbn, stetson38.shx) comprising the ArcView point shapefile components, 'prj' and 'avl' files, metadata text file and browse graphic. in format SHP (version 3.2) ESRI point shapefile Size: 0.09
      Network links: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-001/data/seddata/stetson38/stetson38.zip
      Media you can order: CD-ROM (Density 650 Mbytes) (format ISO 9660)
      Note: The user must have a computer system with a CD-ROM available. To browse the information contained on this CD-ROM, the user must have a current WWW browser available. The user must also have software installed on their computer to unzip the archived file.
    • Cost to order the data: None

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) shapefile format. The user must have ArcGIS or ArcView 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView or ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing the data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 16-Nov-2021
Metadata author:
Lawrence J. Poppe
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Contact_Instructions:
The metadata contact email address is a generic address in the event the metadata contact is no longer with the USGS or the email is otherwise invalid.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/open_file_report/ofr2003-001/stetson38.shp.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Tue Nov 16 10:06:29 2021