PETLAB: a National Geoanalytical Database

content accessibility uranium summary

Nick Mortimer & Ben Morrison, GNS Dunedin

PET database history

• NZGS/GNS “P” rock collection catalogue• a.k.a. PET database• collector, location, rock type, sample type etc data

0

20000

40000

60000

1940 1960 1980 2000Year

National Petrology Reference Collectionno

. of s

ampl

es

Ledgers

Punched cards

Basis

Oracle

PETLAB current content

• permanent and accessible archive• rock & mineral analyses, investigator, method, laboratory etc

Geochemical datae.g. SiO2, As, Cr

Petrophysical datae.g. mag suscep

Volumetric datae.g. % qtz, plag

Isotopic datae.g. O, Sr, Pb ratios

Age calculationse.g. U-Pb, TDM

Sample PET data wr = 3877

min = 451

n = 379

n = 269

n = 353

PETLAB non-GNS content

• PETLAB can now take any NZ rock & mineral analyses • no compromise on data quality (e.g. grid references)• negotiate appropriate multi-institutional data access/entry

2202337 261 185 164

64013

0

20000

40000

60000

GNS OU UC VUW R other

no

. P

ET

LA

B s

am

ple

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Samples by institutionn=67162

PETLAB accessibility

http://gns/intranet

www

Access desktop application

ArcView

Excel

http://www...

coming in 2003

Rest of the World

PETLAB desktop: data in

• Excel template

PETLAB desktop: data out

PETLAB intranet/web

PETLAB example: NZ uranium

Uranium important for a number of reasons:

geophysics: gamma radiometric surveys; heat flow

mineral prospectivity: pathfinder element

environment: radon, groundwater, baselines

geological & geochronological interest

PETLAB uranium

PETLAB records of whole rock U analyses: n = 3102

PETLAB uranium

U <=1 ppm

n = 1061

U >5 ppm

n = 144

U >20 ppm

n = 18

U >1000 ppm

n = 2

• integrate with QMAP database to make geochemical maps

PETLAB summary

permanent, growing database of NZ rocks & rock analyses

integrates scattered geochemical, volumetric, isotopic & petrophysical datasets into a common structure

data input & output as simple as possible

a tool that enhances research & commercial work

PETLAB: future

add data security feature

PETLAB searchable via web in 2003

improve national coverage as project work demands

involve NZ universities, CRIs in PETLAB

use PETLAB in environmental, non-geo applications

useful & visible GNS contribution to the science community

More info: n.mortimer@gns.cri.nz b.morrison@gns.cri.nz