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 together detailed national and continental-resolution 2D and 3D information produced throughout the [U.S. Geological] Survey and by federal and state partners.” In response NCGMP instituted the US GeoFramework Initiative (USGI).
A seamless, integrated, 2D geologic map database does not exist for the Nation; no National-scale 3D compilation exists at all. These digital databases are necessary in support of resource management, critical mineral assessment, water quality modeling, infrastructure development, and geoscience research. The National Geologic Synthesis (NGS) project was created as part of USGI to produce these data by coordinating with the branches of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program and assembling a set of unified products from those contributions.
*Link to USGS Open-File Report 2021-1013: Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s Authoritative Source for Modern Geologic Knowledge
Sub tasks of the NGS Project
National Bedrock Geology
National 3D Geology
3D Sedimentary Basins
National Quaternary Geology
Spatial data from An Inventory of U.S. Geological Survey Three-Dimensional Geologic Models, Volume 1, 2004–2022
Digital data of the previously published geologic map showing configuration of the bedrock, North Platte, 1 degree x 2 degrees quadrangle, Nebraska
Digital database of the previously published map showing geology, structure, and oil and gas fields in the Sterling 1 degree x 2 degrees quadrangle, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas
Digital database of the previously published Geologic Map of the Lamar Quadrangle, Colorado and Kansas
Digital Database of the Previously Published Geologic and Structure Contour Map of the La Junta Quadrangle, Colorado and Kansas
Digital database of the previously published geologic map of the Scottsbluff 1° x 2° quadrangle, Nebraska and Colorado
Digital database of the previously published Geologic maps and cross sections showing configurations of bedrock surfaces, Broken Bow 1 degree x 2 degree quadrangle, east-central Nebraska
Digital database of the previously published Geologic map of the Limon quadrangle, Colorado and Kansas
Digital subsurface data from previously published maps of the base and thickness of post-Eocene continental deposits in the Sacramento Valley, California
Digital subsurface data from previously published contour map of the top of the Wilcox Group, northern Gulf of Mexico coastal region
Digital subsurface data from previously published contoured maps of the top of the Dakota Sandstone, Uinta and Piceance basins, Utah and Colorado
Elevation of top of Precambrian rocks from previous USGS studies of the Colorado Plateau
The National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program’s U.S. GeoFramework Initiative — Delivering a digital database of geologic map information by 2030
Status of three-dimensional geological mapping and modeling activities in the U.S. Geological Survey
The USGS 3D Geologic Model Inventory assembles in catalog form the spatial locations and salient characteristics of previously published USGS 3D geological models. This inventory covers the time period from 2004 through 2022.
- Overview
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 together detailed national and continental-resolution 2D and 3D information produced throughout the [U.S. Geological] Survey and by federal and state partners.” In response NCGMP instituted the US GeoFramework Initiative (USGI).
A seamless, integrated, 2D geologic map database does not exist for the Nation; no National-scale 3D compilation exists at all. These digital databases are necessary in support of resource management, critical mineral assessment, water quality modeling, infrastructure development, and geoscience research. The National Geologic Synthesis (NGS) project was created as part of USGI to produce these data by coordinating with the branches of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program and assembling a set of unified products from those contributions.
*Link to USGS Open-File Report 2021-1013: Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s Authoritative Source for Modern Geologic Knowledge
- Science
Sub tasks of the NGS Project
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...3D Sedimentary Basins
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...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... - Data
Filter Total Items: 14
Spatial data from An Inventory of U.S. Geological Survey Three-Dimensional Geologic Models, Volume 1, 2004–2022
Within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), three-dimensional (3D) geologic models are created as part of geologic framework studies, to support energy, minerals, or water resource assessments, and to inform geologic hazard assessments. Such models are often used within the organization as digital input into process and predictive models. 3D geological modeling typically supports research and projecDigital data of the previously published geologic map showing configuration of the bedrock, North Platte, 1 degree x 2 degrees quadrangle, Nebraska
This digital data release contains previously published geologic data compiled for the North Platte 250k quadrangle, a region in west-central Nebraska largely covered by Quaternary deposits, with exposures of Tertiary Ogallala and Brule formations in the southern portion of the study area. Geologic map data were compiled for the purposes of digitizing the geologic data as part of the National CoopDigital database of the previously published map showing geology, structure, and oil and gas fields in the Sterling 1 degree x 2 degrees quadrangle, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas
This release contains geospatial data digitized from the Map Showing Geology, Structure, and Oil and Gas Fields in the Sterling 1x2 Degree Quadrangle, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas (Scott, 1978) and was compiled as part of the National Geologic Synthesis project. The geospatial data depicts the geology of this quadrangle, which is dominated by Quaternary alluvial and aeolian deposits overlying TeDigital database of the previously published Geologic Map of the Lamar Quadrangle, Colorado and Kansas
This digital data release contains geospatial geologic data compiled for the Lamar 250k quadrangle, a region in eastern Colorado and western Kansas, which is predominantly covered by Quaternary deposits that overlay Cretaceous bedrock. Geologic data, compiled from published sources, include the location and characteristics of geologic contacts and faults, mapped geologic polygons, and ammonite fosDigital Database of the Previously Published Geologic and Structure Contour Map of the La Junta Quadrangle, Colorado and Kansas
This digital dataset release of the La Junta, Colorado and Kansas quadrangle is composed of previously published elevation contours, structure contours on the limits of the Morrison, Dakota, and Purgatorie Formations, and geologic formational data. The digitizing of this map is to provide a more accessible dataset to be available for public usage. The original dataset was part of an eight-part serDigital database of the previously published geologic map of the Scottsbluff 1° x 2° quadrangle, Nebraska and Colorado
This data release contains a digital compilation of geologic data from the Scottsbluff 1° x 2° quadrangle of western Nebraska and northeastern Colorado, a region predominantly characterized by Quaternary and Tertiary sedimentary and extrusive igneous rocks. This geodatabase, digitized from published resources, includes the position of volcanic ash-bed localities, structural data of inclined beds,Digital database of the previously published Geologic maps and cross sections showing configurations of bedrock surfaces, Broken Bow 1 degree x 2 degree quadrangle, east-central Nebraska
This digital data release contains spatial datasets of bedrock geology, volcanic ash bed locations, test hole locations, bedrock outcrops, and structure contours of the top of bedrock and the base of the Ogallala Group from a previously published map (Souders, 2000). The GeologicMap feature dataset contains separate feature classes for the Ogallala Group map unit (ContactsAndFaults and MapUnitPolyDigital database of the previously published Geologic map of the Limon quadrangle, Colorado and Kansas
This digital data release contains geospatial geologic and paleontological data of the 1° x2 °, 1:250,000 Limon quadrangle covering eastern Colorado and western Kansas. The dataset is a digital reproduction of previously published U.S. Geological Survey field mapping which illustrates the spatial configuration of primarily Quaternary surficial units overlying upper Miocene, Oligocene, PaleDigital subsurface data from previously published maps of the base and thickness of post-Eocene continental deposits in the Sacramento Valley, California
Post-Eocene (predominantly Pliocene) continental sedimentary rocks of the Sacramento Valley, CA are up to 1,200 m thick beneath the valley. These rocks contain most of the fresh ground water in the valley, forming a key component of the total water budget for the valley. A 1974 study by the U.S. Geological Survey was an early attempt to develop detailed knowledge of the subsurface geology of the SDigital subsurface data from previously published contour map of the top of the Wilcox Group, northern Gulf of Mexico coastal region
The lower Paleogene Wilcox Group crops out around the northern edge of the Gulf of Mexico Basin and is a major coal-bearing unit and a primary oil and gas producer in the lower Paleogene section of the Gulf Coast region. The outcrop distribution of the Wilcox Group and other coal-bearing strata of the Gulf Coast region was compiled as part of a U.S. Geological Survey National Coal Assessment (WarwDigital subsurface data from previously published contoured maps of the top of the Dakota Sandstone, Uinta and Piceance basins, Utah and Colorado
The top of the Upper Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone is present in the subsurface throughout the Uinta and Piceance basins of UT and CO and is easily recognized in the subsurface from geophysical well logs. This digital data release captures in digital form the results of two previously published contoured subsurface maps that were constructed on the top of Dakota Sandstone datum; one of the studies aElevation of top of Precambrian rocks from previous USGS studies of the Colorado Plateau
For use as part of a regional petroleum assessment, the USGS in the early 1990's developed a dataset reporting elevation on the surface of the Precambrian basement of the central and southern Colorado Plateau and vicinity (Butler, 1991). This dataset was released as paper report that included a table of basement elevations at more than 3,700 control points, including outcrop data of Precambrian ro - Publications
The National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program’s U.S. GeoFramework Initiative — Delivering a digital database of geologic map information by 2030
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program's U.S. GeoFramework Initiative responds to Congressional direction to implement the National Geologic Map Database Phase Three. The U.S. GeoFramework Initiative aims to create and deliver a new digital geologic framework of the United States by 2030. This Fact Sheet outlines the collaborations needed and plans taken to achiStatus of three-dimensional geological mapping and modeling activities in the U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), created in 1879, is the national geological survey for the United States and the sole science agency within its cabinet-level bureau, the Department of the Interior. The USGS has a broad mission, including: serving the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disaster - Web Tools
The USGS 3D Geologic Model Inventory assembles in catalog form the spatial locations and salient characteristics of previously published USGS 3D geological models. This inventory covers the time period from 2004 through 2022.