This award supports the United States Polar Rock Repository (USPRR). The repository houses rock collections from Antarctica and the Arctic, along with associated materials such as field notes, annotated photos and maps, raw analytic data, paleomagnetic cores, ground rock and mineral residues, thin sections, and microfossil mounts, microslides and residues. It provides open access to these samples for researchers, and is currently collecting legacy collections from institutions across the US. The USPRR integrates geologic and geophysical data from cataloged samples where possible, and maintains online sample, map, and rock physical property databases accessible via the world-wide-web. The broader impacts of the facility include new research infrastructure, improving planning for polar research, and providing information for educators and children to learn about polar geology via the website and facility tours.
