GIS

Geodatabase for Marine Placer Platinum

The ultramafic rocks of the Red Mountain in Goodnews Bay area of southwest Alaska have been the commercial source of onshore placer Pt since 1926. The proximity of the Red Mountain to the Bering Sea, geophysical survey revealing the possibility of drowned ultramafic and paleo-drainage channels offshore, and the platinum samples collected by various agencies suggests the availability of a significant quantity of marine Pt accumulations in this region. I have created a comprehensive geodatabase for future Pt prospecting and possible exploration in the offshore regions of Goodnews Bay. The geodatabase has been hosted as an ArcIMS site for interested agencies to download the data

http://mms-goodnewsbay.gina.alaska.edu/index.phtml

Screenshot of the website showing various data layers available at the MMS Goodnews Bay Project IMS

Result showing the four locations identified as potentially rich recourses for placer Pt offshore of Goodnews Bay

Detailed results of the project can be obtained from the following publications

Oommen, T. 2006. "Geodatabase development and GIS based analysis for resource assessment of placer platinum in the offshore region of Goodnews Bay, Alaska." M. S. Thesis, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 183p. Pdf

Oommen, T., Prakash, A., Misra, D., Kelley, J.J., Naidu, S., and Bandopadhyay, S., 2008. "GIS Based Marine Platinum Exploration, Goodnews Bay, Southwest Alaska" Marine Georesources & Geotechnology, 26(1):1-18. Pdf