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 17, 2026

Widespread landslide activity in an extreme wet season and implications for regional sediment management, eastern San Francisco Bay area, California Widespread landslide activity in an extreme wet season and implications for regional sediment management, eastern San Francisco Bay area, California

Watershed sediment production is expected to increase in a warmer future with more extreme rain, with cascading effects throughout drainage and sediment-transport networks. This study investigated landscape-scale sediment movement in the eastern San Francisco Bay area, California, USA, during the extreme 2016–2017 wet season that brought major rainfall, landslides, and flooding. Mapping...

Authors

Amy E. East, Amy Foxgrover, Skye C. Corbett, Brian D. Collins, Andrew C. Ritchie

Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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

Structural evolution of iron coordination in proteins across Earth’s oxygenation history Structural evolution of iron coordination in proteins across Earth’s oxygenation history

Protein metal-binding sites support essential biological functions shaped by protein fold, subunit interactions, and cofactor chemistry. Because these sites encode both biochemical function and environmental constraint, they offer a route to connect protein evolution with changes in Earth’s surface environment through time. Of particular interest is iron (Fe), the most widely used metal...

Authors

Benjamin I. Jelen, Beth A. Christensen, Elisha Kelly Moore

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

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