HIGH ARCTIC ROCK SAMPLE DATABASE

The opening of the Amerasian part of the Arctic Ocean in Mesozoic is highly debatable. Our High Arctic rock sample database (HARD) aims to gather and systemize all published rock samples from the deep Ocean and from the Arctic shelf edges including islands. It is focused on Mesozoic age samples but not limited by this time span. The database contains data about geographical location of sampling sites, sampling methods, classification of the rock samples, age of the rock or rock elements, their stratigraphic position, used methods for the age dating, main research goals of the sampling and references to source publications. HARD composed of about a half thousand records of the rock samples for now; we continue to add information into the database and plan to release it in future for a public access. HARD provides objective information about collected rocks, what can be used for statistical analysis, evaluation of quality age determination for individual sample in relation to others; hence it can assist in understanding of sedimentation environment and the tectonic evolution of the Arctic Ocean in general and the Amerasian part of the ocean in particular.