Operation Basement: Missouri Precambrian Sample Database

In 1968, the Missouri Geological Survey (MGS) established the Operation Basement program to address three objectives: a) to obtain drill hole and underground mining data relative to the structure and composition of the buried Precambrian basement; b) to expand mapping in the Precambrian outcrop area and conduct research related to Precambrian geology and mineral resources; and c) to eventually publish the results of the first two objectives in the Contribution to Precambrian Geology series (Kisvarsanyi, 1976). The database presented here represents the first of those objectives, and it includes more data that was gathered after the third objective was accomplished. It was originally compiled in close cooperation with exploration and mining companies operating in Missouri, who provided drillhole data, core and rock samples to MGS. These data enabled geologists to study otherwise unexposed basement rocks from a large area of the state for the first time, allowing better classification and understanding of the Precambrian basement across the state. MGS is continuing data collection and database compilation today as information becomes available, furthering our knowledge of the Missouri Precambrian basement. This effort was supported through a cooperative agreement with the Mineral Resource Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. There is no plan to update this Data Release product.