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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS)

browse graphicImage of sample locations
The Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS) product is being decommissioned. Archived IMLGS data will only be available via an archive request to ncei.info@noaa.gov. The planned retirement date is May 5th, 2025.

The Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS) describes and provides access to ocean floor and lakebed rock and sediment samples curated by participating institutional and government repositories in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Each curatorial facility prepares and submits data about their own collection to NCEI for inclusion in the IMLGS. NCEI, on behalf of the Curator community, maintains the IMLGS database and a dedicated web application for data discovery and access. Physical material from most samples may be requested from the responsible Curator for scientific research using contact information provided in IMLGS data listings. As of July 2023, the IMLGS includes information for 228,785 discrete seabed and lakebed cores, grabs, dredges, and drill holes worldwide.

Minimum sample information required for the IMLGS includes ship/platform name, cruise ID, sample ID, sampling device, and latitude/longitude. Water depth, collection date, storage method, and principal investigator are usually included. Core dimensions and depth to top and bottom of interval is available for many core samples. Descriptions, comments, physiographic province, lithology, texture, mineralogy, other components, glass remarks, metamorphism information, weathering information, color, and geologic age are included for some samples. An International Generic Sample Number (IGSN) is included, if available. Links are also provided to related data and images at NCEI, partner institutions, and to other sources of information including the System for Earth SAmple Registration (SESAR) and the Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R).

The IMLGS database was initially designed by a group of Curators, in cooperation with NGDC (now NCEI), at a series of meetings sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) beginning in 1977. The Curators group continues to meet annually to share best practices and oversee the IMLGS database.
  • Cite as: Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Consortium. 1977: Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. http://doi.org/10.7289/V5H41PB8. Accessed [date]
gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.geology:G00028
Full Text · XML
Search Data
  • Map viewer (search)
    Open an ArcGIS interactive map interface to search and download data from the IMLGS database and access related links.
  • The new IMLGS web application (search)
    The new IMLGS web application, which uses a new REST-style API, provides a user interface for querying and displaying the IMLGS data.
  • NOAA GeoPlatform (search)
    Access sample information from the IMLGS using the NOAA GeoPlatform.
Download Data
  • Table View (download)
    A table view for searching and exporting data from the IMLGS database and accessing related links.
Distribution Formats
  • ASCII (Version: UTF-8)
    • File Specification: American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text format.
  • WMS (Version: 1.3.0)
    • File Specification: Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service
  • WFS (Version: 1.1.0)
    • File Specification: Open Geospatial Consortium Web Feature Service
  • PDF
    • File Specification: Portable Document Format
  • JPEG
    • File Specification: Joint Photographic Experts Group Image Format
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Marine Geology Data Manager
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
geology.info@noaa.gov
Coverage Description Global ocean seabed and lakebeds
Time Period 1885-04-01T00:23:00.000Z to Present
Spatial Reference System urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG:4326
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -180
East: 180
South: -88.367
North: 90
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
  • Metadata Landing Page
    How to cite this data set (doi:10.7289/V5H41PB8), all access options, and complete documentation.
  • Web page
    Web page of information about the database and the Curators group.
Associated Resources
  • Archive of Geosample Information from the Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI) Core Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) Marine and Geology Repository (MGR) Antarctic Core Collection (ACC)
  • Archive of Geosample Information from the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF)
  • Archive of information about geological samples available for research from the Ohio State University Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) Polar Rock Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Ohio State University Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) Sediment Core Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Information from the Geological Survey of Canada Atlantic (GSC A) Marine Geoscience Curation Facility
  • Archive of Geosample Information from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Core Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Information from Scientific Ocean Drilling
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) Lamont-Doherty Core Repository (LDCR)
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the University of Minnesota National Lacustrine Core Repository (LacCore)
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories (AOML)
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL).
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) Marine Geology Repository (MGR)
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) Department of Marine Geosciences.
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Geological Collections
  • Archive of information about geosamples curated by NMNH collected during NOAA/NOS and USCGS hydrographic surveys
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) Samples Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) Samples Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) Samples Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST)
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the University of Rhode Island (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), Marine Geological Samples Laboratory (MGSL)
  • Archive of Geosample Information from the Universite de Savoie Laboratoire Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de la Montagne (EDYTEM) Core Repository
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the University of Southern California (USC) Department of Earth Sciences
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) Institute of Geophysics
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the University of Wisconsin Ice Island T3 Core Collection
  • Archive of Geosample Data and Information from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Seafloor Samples Laboratory
  • Marine curators gather
  • Curators of Sea Floor and Lakebed Samples Celebrate 25 Years of Service
  • Core data stewardship: a long-term perspective
  • NCEI Marine Geology Data Archive
    • Parent Archive
      Information about the Marine Geology Data Archive at NCEI.
  • NOAA/NCEI Marine Geology WAF
Publication Dates
  • publication: 1977-12-31
  • revision: 2023-07-13
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Ongoing - data is continually being updated
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency Irregular - Partner repositories contribute updates as new samples are added to their collections. Some former partner repositories no longer contribute new data.
Supplemental Information
Quality control: Descriptions and metadata are created by the curating facility, which is responsible for the accuracy of the information. Coded entries are checked on receipt by the National Centers for Environmental Information for gross errors in coded fields.
Purpose The purpose of the IMLGS is to promote new research on existing seabed and lakebed cores, grabs, dredges, and drill samples by helping researchers find existing samples curated by participating geosample repositories. Geosamples are invaluable cross-disciplinary resources. Their uses include, but are not limited to, understanding past climate change, assessing benthic habitat for fish and other biological communities, assessing offshore pollution patterns, assessing the impacts of offshore geohazards, determining suitable sites for offshore infrastructure (e.g., wind turbines), finding suitable sediment for coastal restoration, locating strategic offshore mineral resources, ground-truthing acoustic and other remotely-sensed mapping data, and learning more about other Earth systems and processes.
Use Limitations
  • Produced by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Not subject to copyright protection within the United States.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Consortium. 1977: Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. http://doi.org/10.7289/V5H41PB8. Accessed [date]
Cited Authors
  • Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Consortium
Originators
  • Oregon State University Marine and Geology Repository Antarctic Core Collection (OSU-MGR-ACC)
  • British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF), National Oceanography Centre
  • Geological Survey of Canada Atlantic (GSC A) Marine Geoscience Curation Facility
  • International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP)
  • Lamont-Doherty Core Repository (LDCR), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
  • University of Rhode Island (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), Marine Geological Samples Laboratory (MGSL)
  • University of Minnesota National Lacustrine Core Repository (LacCore)
  • Oregon State University Marine and Geology Repository (OSU-MGR)
  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Geological Collections
  • University of Hawaii at Manoa, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST)
  • The Ohio State University Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) Sediment Core Repository
  • The Ohio State University Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) Polar Rock Repository
  • Universite de Savoie Laboratoire Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de la Montagne (EDYTEM)
  • U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC)
  • U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC)
  • U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC)
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Seafloor Samples Laboratory
  • Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP)(past partner)
  • Ocean Drilling Program (ODP)(past partner)
  • Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP)(past partner)
  • Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI) (currently inactive)
  • GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (currrently inactive)
  • NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories (AOML) Core Repository (closed)
  • NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) (currently inactive)
  • Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) Department of Marine Geosciences (currently inactive)
  • University of Southern California (USC) Department of Earth Sciences (currently inactive)
  • University of Texas at Austin (UT) Institute of Geophysics (currently inactive)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Geoscience (currently inactive)
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH)(NOS hydrographic survey samples only)
  • University of Washington Core Repository (closed, collection moved to Oregon State University)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF)
Custodians
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Publishers
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Acknowledgments
  • Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Consortium, U.S. National Science Foundation, and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
Theme keywords Library of Congress Subject Headings
  • Databases
  • Scientific archives
  • Electronic records
  • Oceanography
  • Ocean bottom
  • Geology
  • Submarine geology
  • Marine sediments
SeaDataNet Common Vocabularies
  • Marine geology
  • Rock and sediment lithology and mineralogy
USGS Science Topics
  • Sea-floor characteristics
USDA National Agricultural Library's Agricultural Thesaurus (NALT)
  • lacustrine sediments
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Marine Sediments
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Marine Sediments > Sediment Composition
  • Earth Science > Paleoclimate > Ocean/Lake Records > Sediments
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Service Keywords
  • DATA ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION > GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS > WEB-BASED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
  • DATA MANAGEMENT/DATA HANDLING > DATA SEARCH AND RETRIEVAL
  • DATA ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION > VISUALIZATION/IMAGE PROCESSING
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Platform keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
  • In Situ Ocean-based Platforms > Ships
Instrument keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Corers > Coring Devices
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Samplers > Dredging Devices
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Samplers > Grabbers/Traps/Collectors > Grab Samplers
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Corers > Rock Corers
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Corers > Sediment Corers
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Corers > Box Core
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Corers > Gravity Corer
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Samplers > Trawls/Nets > Bottom Trawl
Place keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Geographic Region > Global Ocean
  • Vertical Location >Sea Floor
  • Ocean > Arctic Ocean
  • Ocean > Atlantic Ocean
  • Ocean > Indian Ocean
  • Ocean > Pacific Ocean
  • Ocean > Southern Ocean
Project keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords
  • IMLGS > Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords
  • ICSU-WDS > International Council for Science - World Data System
Use Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
  • Please consult with Curator before proposing to do research on any sample discovered through the IMLGS.
  • While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
Access Constraints
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
  • Sample metadata and most data/images are available online for free download. Additional, full-resolution images from the offline archive may be available. Contact NCEI for more information.
Other Constraints Cite as: Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Consortium. 1977: Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. http://doi.org/10.7289/V5H41PB8. Accessed [date]
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Lineage Statement Data are received by NCEI on a continuing basis from the participating repositories. Incoming data are checked for adherence to controlled vocabularies, illegal data types in numeric fields, and out of range latitudes/longitudes. NCEI adds IGSNs/links to related resources, where known, and may perform cursory visual inspection of data for reasonableness, asking the originator for guidance on discrepancies. NCEI informs the originator upon ingest of data to the IMLGS database, after which the originator provides one final quality control using the IMLGS map viewer. Data may also be updated/corrected at any time, at the originator's request.
Processor
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / Northern Gulf Institute
Processing Environment Native Dataset Environment: database tables Technical Prerequisites: Contact data center for information
Source Datasets
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments
Platform
  • In Situ Ocean-based Platforms > SHIPS
Last Modified: 2023-07-13
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov