USGS Spectral Library Version 7 Data

This data release provides the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Spectral Library Version 7 and all related documents. The library contains spectra measured with laboratory, field, and airborne spectrometers. The instruments used cover wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (0.2 to 200 microns). Laboratory samples of specific minerals, plants, chemical compounds, and man-made materials were measured. In many cases, samples were purified, so that unique spectral features of a material can be related to its chemical structure. These spectro-chemical links are important for interpreting remotely sensed data collected in the field or from an aircraft or spacecraft. This library also contains physically-constructed as well as mathematically-computed mixtures. Measurements of rocks, soils, and natural mixtures of minerals have also been made with laboratory and field spectrometers. Spectra of plant components and vegetation plots, comprising many plant types and species with varying backgrounds, are also in this library. Measurements by airborne spectrometers are included for forested vegetation plots, in which the trees are too tall for measurement by a field spectrometer.

The related U.S. Geological Survey Data Series publication, "USGS Spectral Library Version 7", describes the instruments used, metadata descriptions of spectra and samples, and possible artifacts in the spectral measurements (Kokaly and others, 2017).