The Polar Rock Repository at Ohio State University is a national facility preserving over 27,000 cataloged rock and unconsolidated material samples from Polar Regions. It was established by the NSF Office of Polar Programs to minimize redundant sample collecting and preserve specimens from remote locations. The online database includes sample metadata such as geographical location, description, collector, rock age, and multimedia images.
Use Cases
- Conducting pilot studies for research proposals based on the repository's sample metadata.
- Mapping sample locations and geological features using the online geospatial search interface.
- Requesting physical rock samples for destructive analysis or educational exhibits.
- Analyzing historical field observations and logistics data associated with the samples.
Strengths
- Contains over 27,000 cataloged rock and unconsolidated material samples.
- Includes associated materials like field notes, maps, raw analytic data, and thin sections.
- Provides an online mapping interface with a 15m resolution Landsat base map and CSV download.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count for the downloadable metadata is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
Provenance
- Source
- Polar Rock Repository at Ohio State University, established by the NSF Office of Polar Programs.
- Collection Method
- Curatorial preservation and lending of physical rock samples and associated materials collected from Polar Regions.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- Last updated: unknown
- Geography
- Samples from Polar Regions, including Antarctica.