United States Geological Survey

in Reston, Virginia Since 2012, the USGS science focus has been directed at topical "Mission Areas" that have continued to evolve. Further organizational structure includes headquarters functions, geographic regions, science and support programs, science centers, labs, and other facilities. Regions The USGS regional organization aligns with the U.S. Department of the Interior Unified Interior Regions: • Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian • Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf • Region 3: Great Lakes • Region 4: Mississippi Basin • Region 5: Missouri Basin • Region 6: Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf • Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin • Region 8: Lower Colorado Basin • Region 9: Columbia-Pacific Northwest • Region 10: California-Great Basin • Region 11: Alaska • Region 12: Pacific Islands Science programs, facilities, and other organizations USGS operates and organizes within a number of specific science programs, facilities, and other organizational units: Earthquake Hazards Program The Earthquake Hazards Program monitors earthquake activity worldwide. The National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) in Golden, Colorado, on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines detects the location and magnitude of global earthquakes. The USGS also runs or supports several regional monitoring networks in the United States under the umbrella of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). The USGS informs authorities, emergency responders, the media, and the public, both domestic and worldwide, about significant earthquakes. It maintains long-term archives of earthquake data for scientific and engineering research. It also conducts and supports research on long-term seismic hazards. USGS has released the UCERF California earthquake forecast. Volcano early warning systems and observatories the agency is working to create a National Volcano Early Warning System by improving the instrumentation monitoring the 169 volcanoes in U.S. territory and by establishing methods for measuring the relative threats posed at each site. The USGS also operates five volcano observatories throughout the nation: the Alaska Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Alaska and the Northern Mariana Islands) in Anchorage, Alaska (on the campus of Alaska Pacific University), the California Volcano Observatory in Menlo Park, California, the Cascades Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) in Vancouver, Washington, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Hawaii and American Samoa) in Hilo, Hawaii, and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program helps developing countries experiencing volcanic eruptions through response, capacity building, training, and volcano research. The program is based out of the Cascades Volcano Observatory. Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (formerly the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program) has three major science centers one located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, one located in Santa Cruz, California and one located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The goal of this program is to conduct a wide variety of research in coastal and marine environments to support scientific understanding, develop tools and technology, and provide maps, data, and other information needed by resource managers and decision-makers. National Geomagnetism Program The USGS National Geomagnetism Program monitors the magnetic field at magnetic observatories and distributes magnetometer data in real time. North American Environmental Atlas The USGS collaborates with Canadian and Mexican government scientists, along with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, to produce the North American Environmental Atlas, which is used to depict and track environmental issues for a continental perspective. Streamflow programs on the Scioto River below O'Shaughnessy Dam near Dublin, Ohio The USGS operates a number of water-related programs including: • the streamgauging network for the United States, with over 7400 stream gauges. Real-time streamflow data is available online. • the National Streamflow Information Program • National Water-Quality Assessment Program. USGS water data is publicly available from their National Water Information System database. Water Resources Research Institute As part of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, the State Water Resources Research Act Program created a Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) in each state, along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam. Together, these institutes make up the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). The institutes focus on water-related issues through research, training and collaboration. Climate Adaptation Science Centers The National and regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) is a partnership-driven program that teams scientific researchers with natural and cultural resource managers to help fish, wildlife, waters, and lands across the country adapt to climate change. The National CASC (NCASC), based at USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia, serves as the national office for the CASC network, while nine regional CASCs comprising federal-university consortiums located across the U.S., U.S. Pacific Islands, and U.S. Caribbean deliver science that addresses resource management priorities of the states within their footprints. Astrogeology Since 1962, the Astrogeology Research Program has been involved in global, lunar, and planetary exploration and mapping. Geochronology In collaboration with Stanford University, the USGS operates the USGS-Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, an analytical facility for U-(Th)-Pb geochronology and trace element analyses of minerals and other earth materials. National Wildlife Health Center The USGS also operates the National Wildlife Health Center, whose mission is "to serve the nation and its natural resources by providing sound science and technical support, and to disseminate information to promote science-based decisions affecting wildlife and ecosystem health. The NWHC provides information, technical assistance, research, education, and leadership on national and international wildlife health issues." It is the agency primarily responsible for surveillance of H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in the United States. The USGS also runs 17 biological research centers in the United States, including the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. ShakeMaps The USGS is investigating collaboration with the social networking site Twitter to allow for more rapid construction of ShakeMaps. ShakeMaps are an interactive tool allowing users to visually observe the distribution and severity of shaking resulting from earthquakes. == Select activities ==

Topographic mapping in the Adirondacks in New York State from the late 19th century The USGS produces several national series of topographic maps which vary in scale and extent, with some wide gaps in coverage, notably the absence of 1:50,000 scale topographic maps or their equivalent. The largest (both in terms of scale and quantity) and best-known topographic series is the 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 scale, quadrangle, a non-metric scale most common to the United States. Each of these maps covers an area bounded by two lines of latitude and two lines of longitude spaced 7.5 minutes apart. Nearly 57,000 individual maps in this series cover the 48 contiguous states, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and areas of Alaska near Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Prudhoe Bay. The area covered by each map varies with the latitude of its represented location due to convergence of the meridians. At lower latitudes, near 30° north, a 7.5-minute quadrangle contains an area of about . At 49° north latitude, are contained within a quadrangle of that size. As a unique non-metric map scale, the 1:24,000 scale requires a separate and specialized romer scale for plotting map positions. The last USGS paper topographic maps were published in 2006, and were replaced by The National Map in 2019 (not to be confused with the National Atlas of the United States produced by the Department of the Interior, one of whose bureaus is USGS). An older series of maps, the 15-minute series, was once used to map the contiguous 48 states at a scale of 1:62,500 for maps covering the continental United States, but was discontinued during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Each map was bounded by two parallels and two meridians spaced 15 minutes apart—the same area covered by four maps in the 7.5-minute series. Alaska formerly was mapped using the 15-minute series, which was replaced by maps at 1:25,000 scale in 2017. Nearly 3,000 maps cover 97% of the state. The National Map and U.S. Topo In 2008, the USGS abandoned traditional methods of surveying, revising, and updating topographic maps based on aerial photography and field checks. Today's U.S. Topo quadrangle (1:24,000) maps are mass-produced, using automated and semi-automated processes, with cartographic content supplied from the National GIS Database. As a result, some have noted that the U.S. Topo maps currently fall short of traditional topographic map presentation standards achieved in maps drawn from 1945 to 1992. the Field Services Section which includes the warehouse, repair shop, and Engineering Unit; the Testing Section which includes the Hydraulic Laboratory, testing chambers, and Water Quality Laboratory; the Information Technology Section which includes computer support and the Drafting Unit; and the Administrative Section. The HIF was given national responsibility for the design, testing, evaluation, repair, calibration, warehousing, and distribution of hydrologic instrumentation. Distribution is accomplished by direct sales and through a rental program. The HIF supports data collection activities through centralized warehouse and laboratory facilities. The HIF warehouse provides hydrologic instruments, equipment, and supplies for USGS as well as Other Federal Agencies (OFA) and USGS Cooperators. The HIF also tests, evaluates, repairs, calibrates, and develops hydrologic equipment and instruments. The HIF Hydraulic Laboratory facilities include a towing tank, jet tank, pipe flow facility, and tilting flume. In addition, the HIF provides training and technical support for the equipment it stocks. The Engineering Group seeks out new technology and designs for instrumentation that can work more efficiently, be more accurate, and or be produced at a lower cost than existing instrumentation. HIF works directly with vendors to help them produce products that will meet the mission needs of the USGS. For instrument needs not currently met by a vendor, the Engineering Group designs, tests, and issues contracts to have HIF-designed equipment made. Sometimes HIF will patent a new design in the hope that instrument vendors will buy the rights and mass-produce the instrument at a lower cost to everyone. ==USGS publications==

USGS researchers publish the results of their science in a variety of ways, including peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as in one of a variety of USGS Report Series that include preliminary results, maps, data, and final results. A complete catalog of all USGS publications is available from the USGS Publications Warehouse. == History ==

In the mid-1800s, various states set up geological survey institutions; e.g., the Kentucky Geological Survey, established in 1854. In 1879, a report from the National Academy of Sciences prompted Congress to set up a federal survey agency, in part to inventory the vast lands added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Mexican–American War in 1848. The USGS was authorized on March 3 in a last-minute amendment to an unrelated bill that charged the new agency with the "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain". The legislation also provided that the Hayden, Powell, and Wheeler surveys be discontinued as of June 30, 1879. Clarence King, the first director of USGS, assembled the new organization from disparate regional survey agencies. After two years, King was succeeded by John Wesley Powell. List of USGS directors == See also ==