This dataset includes photographic images of thin sections created from hand samples collected from the Crocodile Lake and Cucumber Lake Intrusions, Duluth Complex, Minnesota, along with a shapefile representing the locations of the samples. The samples were collected in order to define copper-nickel-platinum-group element resources associated with the Crocodile Lake and Cucumber Lake Intrusions in the Duluth Complex. The images of the entire thin section, both in plane- and cross-polarized light, were taken using a high-resolution digital camera on a macro stand. The data in each zip file is organized into a folder containing the 'RAW' unprocessed .CR2 images and associated .xmp metadata files, and a folder containing processed .jpg images. The file name of each photograph correlates to the sample ID from which the thin section was sourced, and whether the photograph represents a plane-polarized (ppl) or cross-polarized (xpl) light image. For example, the "1608_xpl.jpg" file is a cross-polarized image of the thin section sourced from the 1608 sample. The .jpg and .CR2 images have Section 508 compliant metadata as per USGS section 508 compliancy officer guidelines. The .xmp files are included with the 'RAW' .CR2 files because the original .CR2 metadata cannot be altered. In order to add descriptive information to the metadata, the .xmp files must be included. The edited image metadata for the .jpg files can be viewed using software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Elements, or windows file explorer. The raw .CR2 images edited metadata can be viewed in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Elements, but is not viewable using windows file explorer. For the .CR2 images, only the original metadata, created when the photograph was taken, can be be viewed using windows file explorer.