USGS Newsroom

Water Demand Likely to Increase Substantially in New Hampshire's Seacoast Region by 2025
Released: 5/9/2008 1:08:58 PM (Share)
By 2025, demand for water in the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire is expected to grow by more than 50 percent.

Dying Bats in the Northeast Remain a Mystery
Released: 5/9/2008 7:35:32 AM (Share)
Investigations continue into the cause of a mysterious illness that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of bats since March 2008.

George Gryc —USGS Geologist, Leader, and Alaska Expert, 1919 - 2008
Released: 5/8/2008 8:45:22 AM (Share)
After a long and distinguished career with the U. S. Geological Survey, George Gryc, 88, passed away on April 27 in Sunnyvale, California. Well known from the smallest bush settlement on the Yukon to Capital Hill in Washington, Gryc was the preeminent Alaskan geologist of his day. His work bore directly on the outcome of all the major issues of consequence to Alaska in the 20th century.

Boldly Going Where No Man (or Woman) Goes: USGS Unmanned Aircraft
Released: 5/8/2008 8:09:48 AM (Share)
In dangerous and remote areas, such as polar regions, volcanic islands, and expansive deserts, remote-controlled unmanned aircraft can provide more detailed, more timely data about the status of natural resources and environmental conditions than would be feasible by any other means.

Landsat Satellite Imagery Used to Assess the Impact of Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis
Released: 5/8/2008 8:09:00 AM (Share)
USGS is providing Landsat satellite imagery to aid rescue and recovery efforts in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis's landfall on May 3.

Earthquake Shakes Northern Virginia
Released: 5/6/2008 3:50:31 PM (Share)
A magnitude 1.8 earthquake occurred in northern Virginia at 1:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time. The epicenter was about 1 mile west-southwest of Annandale, VA and 13 miles west-south-west of Washington, DC. The USGS has received no reports of damage at this time.

USGS Awards Satellite Imagery Contracts: Enhancing Access to Users
Released: 5/2/2008 4:21:57 PM (Share)
RESTON, VA -The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced the award of three multi-year acquisition contracts for high and moderate-resolution satellite imagery to GeoEye of Dulles, VA, DigitalGlobe of Longmont, CO and SPOT Image Corporation of Chantilly, VA.

Web Tool Puts Wildlife Disease News on the Map
Released: 5/2/2008 3:46:13 PM (Share)
A new on-line map makes it possible, for the first time, to track news articles about disease outbreaks around the world that threaten the health of wildlife, domestic animals, and people.

Highest Flood Recorded on Lower Mississippi River Since 1973
Released: 5/1/2008 2:09:19 PM (Share)
The largest flood on the lower Mississippi River since 1973 was measured on April 22 in Vicksburg, Mississippi by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Scientists Collect Data to Aid Afghanistan Reconstruction
Released: 4/30/2008 1:48:21 PM (Share)
Policymakers, potential private investors, and the public received valuable new information today to help identify fault lines and the potential location of undiscovered water, oil and gas, and non-fuel mineral resources in Afghanistan.

Media Advisory: New Data to Help with Afghanistan's Natural Resources and Hazards Assessments
Released: 4/22/2008 1:57:14 PM (Share)
The U.S. Geological Survey recently collected new data to help identify fault lines and the potential location of undiscovered water, oil and gas, and non-fuel mineral resources in Afghanistan.

Earthquake Hazard Maps Show How the Nation Shakes with Quakes
Released: 4/21/2008 3:20:24 PM (Share)
Friday's magnitude-5.2 earthquake in southern Illinois is a reminder that earthquakes are a national hazard.

Upper San Pedro Partnership Wins Cooperative Conservation Award
Released: 4/21/2008 3:06:30 PM (Share)
The Upper San Pedro Partnership was recognized with the Department of the Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award today.

Award Recognizes Animas Watershed Improvements
Released: 4/21/2008 2:59:27 PM (Share)
The Animas River Stakeholders Group was recognized with the Department of the Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award today for significant improvements to water quality and aquatic habitat in Colorado's Animas River watershed.

Sparta Aquifer Recovery Partnership Wins Cooperative Conservation Award
Released: 4/21/2008 2:54:08 PM (Share)
Partners in the Sparta Aquifer Recovery Initiative in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana were recognized with the Department of the Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award today.

Illinois Earthquake is a Wake-Up Call
Released: 4/18/2008 2:07:11 PM (Share)
Today's early morning earthquake that jolted many in the central U.S. is a reminder that seismic events do occur in areas not normally thought of as "earthquake country."

USGS to Host Congressional Briefing on Climate Change Impacts on Coastal Communities
Released: 4/18/2008 11:53:38 AM (Share)
The USGS will host a congressional briefing on how science can be used to anticipate and address the impacts of climate change on our vulnerable coasts.

Earthquake, Tsunami Experts Gather in Seattle
Released: 4/16/2008 7:08:18 AM (Share)
The National Earthquake Conference will be held in Seattle from April 22 - 26. Earthquake experts from around the nation will convene to discuss the latest research on earthquakes and the generation of tsunamis.

Kimball Named Associate Director for Geology
Released: 4/15/2008 5:24:22 PM (Share)
Dr. Suzette M. Kimball has been named Associate Director for Geology of the U.S. Geological Survey, the scientific agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Kimball is the first woman to hold the position.

Climate Change May Create Water Supply Shortages in the Colorado River Basin
Released: 4/15/2008 5:18:10 PM (Share)
New USGS research indicates that climate change may impact water supply from the Colorado River basin. This could greatly impact the more than 25 million people, including residents of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, who rely on this source for water and power.

New Study Shows Odds High for Big California Quakes
Released: 4/14/2008 12:02:15 PM (Share)
California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years, according to scientists using a new model to determine the probability of big quakes.

USGS Maps Integrated Science at World's Largest Geography Conference
Released: 4/14/2008 11:10:20 AM (Share)
The potential effects of sea level rise, the value of ecosystem services, the comprehensive precision of the National Land Cover Database, and new horizons for The National Map are just a few of the USGS research topics to be highlighted at the annual meeting of the American Association of Geographers in Boston, April 14-19.

Media Advisory: New Study Shows Odds High for Big California Quakes
Released: 4/11/2008 8:59:54 PM (Share)
Scientists report new state-wide probabilities of earthquakes in California as a result of a first-of-its-kind model of earthquake fault rupture. The consensus of the scientific community on this important issue allows for the first time, meaningful comparisons of the hazards in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as comparisons among several large faults. Building codes, emergency planning, and earthquake insurance rates will be affected by the results of this new comprehensive study, highlighting the urgency to prepare now for inevitable future quakes.

3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana's Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate—
Released: 4/10/2008 2:25:36 PM (Share)
Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation.

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