Includes natural occurrences of any useful inorganic element or compound with particle sizes other than sand, including clay, silt, gravel, and bedrock (that is, substrate with a grain size other than 0.0625-2.0 millimeters; for finer subdivisions, see Federal Geographic Data Committee, 2012 [CMECS]). Distributions are recorded observations or models of mineral grain size, composition, and deposit thickness in a location or area, including maps of these resources derived through observations, interpreted data, remote sensing data, geologic maps, and hydrodynamic models. Assessments are evaluations of total mineral availability; models of present deposition, resuspension, erosion, or accretion; models of difficulty of extraction or relocation; and models of ecological and economic values. Predictions are the results of models or projections of future distributions, values, or ecological impacts of mineral resources; these data include predicted changes due to natural and human forces. Predictions are also the results of scenario-based models of resource losses, gains, or impacts on ecological or economic values under different management strategies (for example, mining, extraction, or relocation) or other human alterations.