Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center

Comprehensive, Interdisciplinary Research and Surveys

Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Scientists within the GEMSC represent a breadth of programs focused on the USGS mission; Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, and Environmental Health Programs. GEMSC conducts comprehensive, interdisciplinary research and surveys of the origin, occurrence, distribution, quantity, and composition of oil, gas, coal, minerals, and more.

What We Provide

GEMSC conducts comprehensive, interdisciplinary research and surveys of the origin, occurrence, distribution, quantity, and composition of oil, gas, coal, minerals, and associated deposits. We provide up-to-date, publicly available, scientific data.

Explore Our Science

What We Address

GEMSC was established in 2020 through the merger of the Eastern Energy Resources and the Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Centers. Our work is broadly applicable to current and emerging geology, energy, and minerals issues.

About The Center

Science Priorities

News

June 18, 2026

USGS: Lithium in Carolinas Could Replace Imports for a Century or More

April 28, 2026

Lithium in Eastern States Could Replace Imports for a Century or More

August 28, 2025

USGS Unveils New National Geologic Map

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Publications

August 3, 2026

Regional characterization of coal resources in the Gulf Coast Coal Region—In support of coal as a potential source for critical minerals and rare earth elements Regional characterization of coal resources in the Gulf Coast Coal Region—In support of coal as a potential source for critical minerals and rare earth elements

There is increasing interest in extracting critical minerals (CM), including rare earth elements (REE), from coals in the United States to address the overreliance on imported REE. The Gulf Coast and the Fort Union regions are the two major lignite-bearing regions within the United States. Recent REE and CM studies of the lignite in these regions have indicated that the coals may be a...

Authors

Peter D. Warwick, Robert C. Reedy, Bridget R. Scanlon

Geology, Energy, and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

July 17, 2026

Spatio-temporal modeling for assessing geoenergy resources: A workflow applied to gas in place variation in coal beds Spatio-temporal modeling for assessing geoenergy resources: A workflow applied to gas in place variation in coal beds

The ability to estimate spatio-temporal changes in hydrocarbon reservoir properties and energy resources within pore volumes is essential for optimizing production, reservoir management, geologic energy storage, and safety in underground mining operations. In coal seams, predicting remaining methane gas-in-place (GIP) is critical for quantifying producible gas and improving mine safety...

Authors

Oktay Erten, C. Özgen Karacan, Clayton V. Deutsch

Geology, Energy, and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

July 15, 2026

Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast

The Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation is a stratigraphic unit located in the subsurface of the United States Gulf coastal plain and offshore Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico). The Norphlet consists of clastic sediments derived from the southern Appalachian highlands, and was deposited in a continental dryland setting on the margins of the early Gulf of America rift basin. The formation...

Authors

John W. Counts

Geology, Energy, and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

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