Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS)

The Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS) describes and provides access to ocean floor and lakebed rock and sediment samples curated by participating institutional and government repositories in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Material from most samples may be requested from the responsible Curator for scientific research, using contact information provided in IMLGS data listings. Each curatorial facility prepares data on their own collection for the IMLGS. Minimum information includes platform, cruise, sample id, sampling device, and latitude/longitude. Water depth, collection date, storage method, and principal investigator are usually included. Core dimensions and depth to top and bottom of interval is available for many core samples. Descriptions, comments, physiographic province, lithology, texture, mineralogy, other components, glass remarks, weathering information, and geologic age are included for some samples. An International GeoSample Identifiers (IGSN) is included, where known. Links are provided to related data and images at NCEI, partner institutions, and to other sources of information including the System for Earth SAmple Registration (SESAR) and the Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R). The IMLGS includes information about over 207,935 discrete sea floor and lakebed cores, grabs, dredges, and drill holes worldwide, as of December 7, 2015. The database was designed by a group of Curators, in cooperation with NGDC (now NCEI), at a series of meetings sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) beginning in 1977. The Curators group continues to meet biennially to share best practices and oversee the IMLGS database.