Detailed analysis and modeling of 3D basin architecture is a critical tool in the assessment of water, energy, and mineral resources, as well as paleoclimate and paleotectonic reconstructions. Sedimentary basins are of particular interest because they are repositories of economically important byproducts of sedimentary processes and are commonly rich in subsurface data. Due to the importance of sedimentary basins to various stakeholders, characterizing these systems at their native scale naturally facilitates coordination with regional experts from State Surveys and other USGS mission areas. These lines of communication also benefit broad objectives of the US Geoframework Initiative, including the development of data standards for detailed and regional 3D models.
The 3D Sedimentary Basins task activities include:
(1) conversion of existing 3D geologic data for sedimentary basins to a format accessible to a wide variety of users,
(2) compiling and synthesizing subsurface geologic datasets to create new 3D products for sedimentary basins, and
(3) ensuring that detailed sedimentary basin data is integrated into a regional- to national-scale seamless 3D geologic database.
National Geologic Synthesis
National Bedrock Geology
National 3D Geology
National Quaternary Geology
- Overview
Detailed analysis and modeling of 3D basin architecture is a critical tool in the assessment of water, energy, and mineral resources, as well as paleoclimate and paleotectonic reconstructions. Sedimentary basins are of particular interest because they are repositories of economically important byproducts of sedimentary processes and are commonly rich in subsurface data. Due to the importance of sedimentary basins to various stakeholders, characterizing these systems at their native scale naturally facilitates coordination with regional experts from State Surveys and other USGS mission areas. These lines of communication also benefit broad objectives of the US Geoframework Initiative, including the development of data standards for detailed and regional 3D models.
The 3D Sedimentary Basins task activities include:
(1) conversion of existing 3D geologic data for sedimentary basins to a format accessible to a wide variety of users,
(2) compiling and synthesizing subsurface geologic datasets to create new 3D products for sedimentary basins, and
(3) ensuring that detailed sedimentary basin data is integrated into a regional- to national-scale seamless 3D geologic database.
- Science
National Geologic Synthesis
The National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) Strategic Plan of 2020 calls for the creation of a “variable-scale, national, integrated 2D and 3D geologic-framework model that enables the seamless construction of geologic maps within user-defined regions of interest across the United States by the year 2030” (USGS Open-File Report 2021-1013*). Congress recently directed NCGMP to “bring...National Bedrock Geology
Accessible, up-to-date information about the Nation’s bedrock geology is necessary to support infrastructure development, natural resource management, mineral assessments, water quality, and earth science research. The National Bedrock Geology task will construct a continuous digital geologic map of pre-Quaternary rocks and deposits across the United States at National scale, to fulfill the USGI...National 3D Geology
Water, energy, mineral resource assessments, and hazard and land-use assessments are central to the USGS mission and increasingly rely on subsurface information and 3D geologic models. There are also many emerging societal issues in which 3D geology becomes increasingly relevant, including assessment of brackish groundwater resources, unconventional oil and gas plays, geothermal systems...National Quaternary Geology
Quaternary geologic deposits represent important reservoirs of hydrologic, aggregate, and other resources and preserve a record of landscape evolution and the distribution and frequency of geologic hazards. These deposits are cataloged in thousands of geologic maps produced over many decades, but many are inconsistent with their neighbors, decades out of date, only available as static...