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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The Florence Bascom Geoscience Center (FBGC) is at the leading edge of scientific research addressing critical societal issues and providing unbiased data and information to decision makers and the public. Our research center is built around five broad science themes: Paleoclimate & Paleoecology, Landscape Science, Geologic Mapping, Hazards, and Special Geologic Studies. 

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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.

See Featured Story

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

Stratigraphic notes—Volume 2, 2025

This is the second volume in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) series of reports on stratigraphy entitled “Stratigraphic Notes,” which consists of short papers that highlight stratigraphic studies, changes in stratigraphic nomenclature, and explanations of stratigraphic names and concepts used on published geologic maps. “Stratigraphic Notes” is a long-term (multiyear), multivolume...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Pollen records, postglacial: Southeastern North America

Pollen records from the unglaciated southeastern region of North America provide an overview of biogeographic changes associated with vegetational migration northward following the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Changing insolation during the Holocene affected forest composition on the Coastal Plain, and rising sea level controlled the distribution of marsh and forested wetlands...
Authors
Debra A. Willard
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Evaluation of solid bitumen created from marine oil shale bituminite under hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis conditions

To test the influence of environmental conditions on aromaticity of solid bitumen generated during petroleum generation, four organic-rich (26–36 wt% total organic carbon) oil shale samples collected from the Neoproterozoic–Lower Cambrian restricted marine Salt Range Formation in the upper Indus Basin, Pakistan, were pyrolyzed under hydrous and anhydrous conditions. Experiments used...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Brett J. Valentine, Ryan J. McAleer, Javin J. Hatcherian, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Bonnie McDevitt, Imran Khan
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center
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Science

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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
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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
link

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
link
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Task 2 - Geologic Mapping of the Great Lakes States

The area encompassed by Task 2 comprises the states that border the Great Lakes, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The primary objective of Task 2 is to develop and improved understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Great Lakes region. This work involves a combination of both regional-scale studies and detailed (“cornerstone”)...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Task 2 - Geologic Mapping of the Great Lakes States

The area encompassed by Task 2 comprises the states that border the Great Lakes, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The primary objective of Task 2 is to develop and improved understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Great Lakes region. This work involves a combination of both regional-scale studies and detailed (“cornerstone”)...
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