Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
The primary mission of the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center (FBGC) is to provide detailed scientific data and assessments to support natural resource management, public safety, and national security. The FBGC specializes in:
Geologic mapping and hazards
Paleontology, stratigraphy, and environmental geology
Special geologic studies at the intersection of national security and mineral resources
USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining
USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining
The USGS has collaborated with several international organizations working to track and monitor illegal mining and armed groups funded by natural resources around the world.
Mid-Atlantic Stream & Sediment Science
Mid-Atlantic Stream & Sediment Science
FBGC's ecologist Greg Noe's work is highlighted in this great article discussing legacy erosion and sedimentation in Mid-Atlantic watersheds.
Climate Change Impacts on Mangrove Forests
Climate Change Impacts on Mangrove Forests
FBGC scientists Miriam Jones and Lynn Wingard were recently interviewed by NPR regarding climate change and mangrove forests.
Publications
Preliminary geologic map of the Sparta East, Sparta West, and parts of the Glade Valley and Whitehead 7.5-minute quadrangles, North Carolina and Virginia, and the epicentral area of the August 9, 2020, Mw 5.1 earthquake near Sparta, North Carolina Preliminary geologic map of the Sparta East, Sparta West, and parts of the Glade Valley and Whitehead 7.5-minute quadrangles, North Carolina and Virginia, and the epicentral area of the August 9, 2020, Mw 5.1 earthquake near Sparta, North Carolina
Introduction New bedrock and surficial geologic mapping in the Sparta East, Sparta West, and parts of the Glade Valley and Whitehead 7.5-minute quadrangles, North Carolina and Virginia, investigates the geologic framework and causative mechanisms of the August 9, 2020, Mw 5.1 earthquake near Sparta, North Carolina. The mapping documents (1) the coseismic surface rupture from the 2020...
Changes in suspended sediment concentration along tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay: The tidal freshwater “sediment shadow” Changes in suspended sediment concentration along tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay: The tidal freshwater “sediment shadow”
Transport of terrigenic sediment from nontidal watersheds into estuaries has important impacts on coastal habitat quality, pollutant transport, and resilience to sea-level rise. However, relatively little is known about changes in suspended sediment as nontidal rivers encounter tide, transition into tidal rivers through the tidal freshwater zone (TFZ), and enter saline portions of...
Geochemical disequilibrium at the brittle-ductile transition Geochemical disequilibrium at the brittle-ductile transition
We investigate the microtextural, microchemical, and isotopic effects of late-stage ductile deformation in quartzite mylonites and kyanite–muscovite–quartz veins from the Raft River shear zone (Utah). Quartz microstructures record pervasive disequilibrium, expressed by unannealed features including undulatory extinction, deformation lamellae, and poorly defined fabrics, typical of waning
Science
500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.
Large floods on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. can be documented as early as 1784, and based on historical data and recent measurements, have occurred with increasing frequency since the mid-19th century. Human modifications to the Potomac estuary since Washington D.C. was established as the Federal capital, as well as increasingly heavy rainfall and land clearance in the watershed, likely...
Paleoscience for Partners: Reconstructing the Past to Prepare for the Future
Scientists from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program are at the forefront of unraveling mysteries of the past to help partners prepare for future environmental conditions.
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations
Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
By
California Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center