Construction and Support of a Polar Rock Repository

The Office of Polar Programs and polar geologists recognized the value of
saving rock collections from Antarctica and created the United States Polar
Rock Repository at Ohio State University. This facility opened in October,
2003. Since that time, we have cataloged more than 6100 rock samples. The
data associated with these samples, along with a rock magnetic database
representing more than 1700 sites and a photo/map archive are now available to
the community via the internet at:
http://bprc.osu.edu/emuwebusprr/pages/usprr/Query.php .

The USPRR advances knowledge about polar geology in regions that are often not
well known because of logistical and ice-cover constraints. The presence of a
facility like the USPRR lessens the environmental impact in polar regions by
encouraging researchers to assess samples in the USPRR collection first. Our
facility provides a way for teachers and children to learn about Antarctica via
our website and by visiting us (we have more than 1000 visitors/yr). For
children in the K-12 age range, we have created these links on our website: a
Virtual Tour of the Repository, Meet the Curators, Kids Space and Frequently
Asked Questions as a way of learning about Antarctica. Cataloging of samples
provides university students with an opportunity to learn about the geology of
Antarctica as well as learning new skills in digital imaging, curation and
databases. Our results are broadly disseminated to the scientific community and
public via our website.