3„ To provide bibliographic listings of marine geologic sources of 

 information (not only bottom sediment samples) for specific areas 

 through area cross references, and to provide lists of reports dealing 

 Avith projects, operations, cruises, or expeditions. 



4, To relate reports and analyses which come from several sources 

 or authors but deal with the same samples. The ship, expedition, or 

 project name with the date is most useful for this purpose. 



5. To be able to enter on the cards additional information about 

 the samples from new sources by using the list of Marsden squares 

 given under comments on the bibliographic card. 



The tally file is maintained to provide current listings of the num- 

 bers and geographic distributions of bottom sediment samples contained 

 in the data collection. Eventually, it is hoped, the tally file will indicate 

 the worldwide distribution of all published and much unpublished bottom 

 sediment data. This file is used as a guide in planning oceanographic 

 surveys by indicating regions for which data are lacking and where 

 survey efforts should be concentrated. Charts prepared periodically 

 from this file will indicate progress in the collection of submarine 

 sediment information. 



The tally cards also show the number of core samples and the 

 number of samples of other types (designated surface samples) in 

 each one-degree square. The code number of the source of each sample 

 or the ship's name and date of collection are recorded on the tally 

 card. 



A log book is maintained in which all bibliographic sources of 

 bottom sedinnent data are entered and numbered (code number) in the 

 chronological order in which their data are added to the data file. Its 

 major purpose is to serve as an additional record of sources and as a 

 key to sources which nnay be indicated on data and tally cards only by 

 code number 



VI. Composition of Data Collection 



The data file now contains analyses or descriptions of approximately 

 20,000 samples, of which about 17,000 are surface samples and 3,000 

 are core samples. Data for several thousand of the samples were ob- 

 tained from foreign language sources, majiy of which have been partially 

 translated. However, translation time and cost remain a restriction 

 on full use of foreign sources. Russian, Japanese, Chinese, German, 

 French, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Finnish, Turkish, 



21 



