Geologic Map of North America

The Geological Society of America�s (GSA) Geologic Map of North America (Reed and others, 2005a, b; 1:5,000,000) shows the geology of a significantly large area of the Earth, centered on North and Central America and including the submarine geology of parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This map has been converted to a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that contains all geologic and base-map information shown on the two printed map sheets and the accompanying explanation sheet. This first version (1.0) of the database contains the information shown on the printed map and serves as the fundamental entity from which products of the map can then be derived; those products may be interpretive, or they may be future editions of the map. The database provides a more accessible means to explore the map information and to compare and analyze it in conjunction with other types of information (for example, land use, soils, biology) to better understand the complex interrelations among factors that affect Earth resources, hazards, ecosystems, and climate. References: Reed, J.C., Jr., J.O. Wheeler, and J.E. Tucholke, comps., 2005a, Geologic map of North America: Boulder, Colo., Geological Society of America, Decade of North American Geology Continental Scale Map 001, scale 1:5,000,000. Reed, J.C. Jr., J.O. Wheeler, and J.E. Tucholke. 2005b. Geologic Map of North America - Perspectives and explanation: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America, Decade of North American Geology, 28 p.