About
Discoverable | Accessible | Reusable
We preserve today's geological collections to accelerate discovery in the future.
We provide geophysical samples and high-quality geological resources to the Nation that are discoverable, accessible and reusable.
Our Mission
We promote the preservation of, and access to, geoscientific data and samples. Our physical repositories and digital databases are available to help answer geologic questions impacting everything from resource exploration to natural hazards identification and more. We also provide technical and financial assistance for managing collections, including through grant programs and guidance resources.
We are a part of the USGS Geology, Energy and Minerals Mission Area.
Our Impact
We help modernize legacy collections, reduce data loss, support energy and minerals decision-making, and improve stewardship of taxpayer assets.
Preserving these collections:
- Provides a low-risk resource to industry to accelerate mineral and energy exploration.
- Safeguards materials that may be the only source of unique, irreplaceable information.
- Supports reliable, repeatable results by ensuring samples remain available and well‑documented.
- Drives new insights and progress by enabling samples to be reused to address emerging questions.
Our collections are used by industry, government and academia to answer vital geologic questions about energy and mineral resources, natural hazards, water resources, infrastructure planning, and land management.
Our History
Since its formation in 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey has been collecting samples that support scientific investigations. The efforts to preserve these data and samples and make them discoverable and accessible have become more organized and coordinated over time. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58, Sec. 351) established the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program in the USGS and outlined the following goals:
- Archive geological, geophysical, and engineering data, maps, well logs, and samples
- Provide a national catalog of archived materials
- Provide technical and financial assistance to State geological surveys and relevant Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus related to the archival material
The Program was reauthorized in Section 7002 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260).
