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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

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK

USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining

Artisanal miners digging a mining pit using simple tools such as shovels, buckets and water pumps.

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.

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Mid-Atlantic Stream & Sediment Science

An image taken along Western Branch in Maryland

FBGC's ecologist Greg Noe's work is highlighted in this great article discussing legacy erosion and sedimentation in Mid-Atlantic watersheds.

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Climate Change Impacts on Mangrove Forests

The shore along the edges of an island playa in Florida

FBGC scientists Miriam Jones and Lynn Wingard were recently interviewed by NPR regarding climate change and mangrove forests. 

Listen to Interview

Publications

Over, under, and through: Hydrologic connectivity and the future of coastal landscape salinization Over, under, and through: Hydrologic connectivity and the future of coastal landscape salinization

Seawater intrusion (SWI) affects coastal landscapes worldwide. Here we describe the hydrologic pathways through which SWI occurs - over land via storm surge or tidal flooding, under land via groundwater transport, and through watersheds via natural and artificial surface water channels—and how human modifications to those pathways alter patterns of SWI. We present an approach to advance...
Authors
Ashley Helton, James Dennedy-Frank, Ryan Emanuel, Scott C Neubauer, Kyra Adams, Marcelo Ardon, Lawrence Band, Kevin A. Befus, Hanne Borstlap, Jamie Duberstein, Adam Gold, Kominoski John, Alex Manda, Holly A. Michael, Stephen Moysey, Allison Myers-Pigg, Justine Annaliese Neville, Gregory Noe, Jeeban Panthi, Elnaz Pezeshki, Matthew Sirianni, Ward.Nicolas
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Discovery of an intact Quaternary paleosol, Georgia Bight, USA Discovery of an intact Quaternary paleosol, Georgia Bight, USA

A previously buried paleosol was found on the continental shelf during a study of sea floor scour, nucleated by large artificial reef structures such as vessel hulks, barges, train cars, military vehicles, etc., called “scour nuclei”. It is a relic paleo-land surface of sapling-sized tree stumps, root systems, and fossil animal bone exhumed by scour processes active adjacent to the...
Authors
Ervan G. Garrison, Matthew Newton, Benjamin Prueitt, Emily C. Jones, Debra A. Willard
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The nonpoint source challenge: Obstacles and opportunities for meeting nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed The nonpoint source challenge: Obstacles and opportunities for meeting nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

This document examines the Chesapeake Bay watershed response to nutrient and sediment reduction efforts under the Clean Water Act's total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulation. As the 2025 Chesapeake Bay TMDL deadline approaches, water quality goals remain unmet, primarily because of nonpoint source pollution, the largest remaining source of nutrients and sediment, and the primary...
Authors
Zachary M. Easton, Kurt Stephenson, Brian Benhem, J.K. Böhlke, Anthony R Buda, Amy S. Collick, Lara Fowler, Ellen Gilinsky, Andrew Miller, Gregory Noe, Leah Palm-Forster, Leonard Shabman, Tess Wynn-Thompson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center
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Science

Mangroves on the outside of a playa within Florida Bay

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
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations

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.
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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Task 3 - Geologic Mapping of the (other) Non-Coalition Glaciated States

The area encompassed by Task 3 comprises the non-coalition (other) states within the glaciated region, including Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Jersey. The primary objective of Task 3 is to continue the compilation of existing and create new 1:500,000-scale Quaternary geologic maps for the region, and to conduct new 1:24,000-scale mapping in areas of...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
Task 3 - Geologic Mapping of the (other) Non-Coalition Glaciated States

Task 3 - Geologic Mapping of the (other) Non-Coalition Glaciated States

The area encompassed by Task 3 comprises the non-coalition (other) states within the glaciated region, including Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Jersey. The primary objective of Task 3 is to continue the compilation of existing and create new 1:500,000-scale Quaternary geologic maps for the region, and to conduct new 1:24,000-scale mapping in areas of...
Learn More
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