The USGS National Center
Can I visit a USGS office?
Very few USGS offices are set up to accommodate visitors. Before stopping by a USGS office, you should check their website or call ahead to make sure that visitors are welcome. There are USGS offices in each state.
Members of the public are welcome to use libraries that are located at some USGS offices, but materials can only be checked out through Interlibrary Loan.
Please note that most of our offices are involved in very specific research, so they do not have specialists available in all science topics.
Related Content
Where are USGS offices located?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has offices in every state . Our headquarters is located in Reston, Virginia. For assistance finding or contacting a specific USGS office, contact USGS Science Information Services by phone, email, or Web chat .
How do I contact the USGS?
For general science inquiries, call 1-888-392-8545. You can also use this website to send us a message or to initiate a live Web chat with a USGS Science Information Specialist. For questions on the distribution of federal park passes, maps, books and other science products, or the status of existing orders, call 1-888-275-8747 or visit the USGS Store website. Most of our employees are listed in...
What information does the USGS have about careers in science?
Find information and inspiring stories about USGS science careers at these websites: USGS Career Cards USGS Employment and Information Center Students and Youth at the USGS (YouTube search) A Snapshot of Women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers Virtual Job Shadow (videos) See the below Related Content Multimedia tab for additional videos.
Does the USGS do classroom presentations?
The USGS has offices in every state , but education is not part of our mission and we do not have employees who go into classrooms as part of their job. Some employees, however, are willing to do so on their own time. If there's a USGS office in your town, contact them directly to ask about a speaker or presenter. Alternatively, teachers can sign up for a Virtual Classroom Visit from a volunteer...
Does the USGS have science libraries?
The USGS has the largest earth science library in the world . The Libraries Program includes central libraries in Reston, Virginia and Denver, Colorado along with small, topic-specific libraries in science centers scattered around the country. For assistance with library resources, send an email to library@usgs.gov or call 703-648-4301. Holdings and services at science center libraries tend to...
Does the USGS give teacher workshops?
The USGS does not have a formal program for teacher workshops, but USGS scientists sometimes participate in teacher workshops that are organized by universities or other education groups. Our USGS Education website lists both resources for use in the classroom and easily-understood resources that teachers can use to educate themselves.
Do you have any citizen science programs in which my students can participate?
Absolutely! The USGS has partnerships with several citizen science programs that are appropriate for classroom projects, for individual students, or for anyone who wants a fun and rewarding activity. See the Citizen Science page on our USGS Education website .
Can I join the USGS?
As a science agency for the United States government, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves all United States citizens. The USGS can only be “joined” by its employees, but citizens can get involved in USGS research through its Citizen Science programs . Some USGS Citizen Science opportunities are also listed at Volunteer.gov . In addition: Keep up with the latest USGS science by subscribing to...
Does the USGS offer field trips or classes?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) does not have a formal program for providing field trips or classes. USGS employees will sometimes lead field trips or teach classes that are organized by outside organizations, but those are not advertised by the USGS. The USGS has published numerous field-trip guides to geologic areas. Use our online Publications Warehouse to search for "field trip" or...
USGS National Center
USGS National Center North Entrance and Volcanic Crystal Columns
Granite is an igneous rock that we’ve used for building materials for thousands of years. It’s name comes from the Latin word “granum,” meaning “grain,” which refers to the grains of quartz and feldspar that define granite. This one is from the Barre formation in Vermont.
Granite is an igneous rock that we’ve used for building materials for thousands of years. It’s name comes from the Latin word “granum,” meaning “grain,” which refers to the grains of quartz and feldspar that define granite. This one is from the Barre formation in Vermont.
Related Content
Where are USGS offices located?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has offices in every state . Our headquarters is located in Reston, Virginia. For assistance finding or contacting a specific USGS office, contact USGS Science Information Services by phone, email, or Web chat .
How do I contact the USGS?
For general science inquiries, call 1-888-392-8545. You can also use this website to send us a message or to initiate a live Web chat with a USGS Science Information Specialist. For questions on the distribution of federal park passes, maps, books and other science products, or the status of existing orders, call 1-888-275-8747 or visit the USGS Store website. Most of our employees are listed in...
What information does the USGS have about careers in science?
Find information and inspiring stories about USGS science careers at these websites: USGS Career Cards USGS Employment and Information Center Students and Youth at the USGS (YouTube search) A Snapshot of Women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers Virtual Job Shadow (videos) See the below Related Content Multimedia tab for additional videos.
Does the USGS do classroom presentations?
The USGS has offices in every state , but education is not part of our mission and we do not have employees who go into classrooms as part of their job. Some employees, however, are willing to do so on their own time. If there's a USGS office in your town, contact them directly to ask about a speaker or presenter. Alternatively, teachers can sign up for a Virtual Classroom Visit from a volunteer...
Does the USGS have science libraries?
The USGS has the largest earth science library in the world . The Libraries Program includes central libraries in Reston, Virginia and Denver, Colorado along with small, topic-specific libraries in science centers scattered around the country. For assistance with library resources, send an email to library@usgs.gov or call 703-648-4301. Holdings and services at science center libraries tend to...
Does the USGS give teacher workshops?
The USGS does not have a formal program for teacher workshops, but USGS scientists sometimes participate in teacher workshops that are organized by universities or other education groups. Our USGS Education website lists both resources for use in the classroom and easily-understood resources that teachers can use to educate themselves.
Do you have any citizen science programs in which my students can participate?
Absolutely! The USGS has partnerships with several citizen science programs that are appropriate for classroom projects, for individual students, or for anyone who wants a fun and rewarding activity. See the Citizen Science page on our USGS Education website .
Can I join the USGS?
As a science agency for the United States government, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves all United States citizens. The USGS can only be “joined” by its employees, but citizens can get involved in USGS research through its Citizen Science programs . Some USGS Citizen Science opportunities are also listed at Volunteer.gov . In addition: Keep up with the latest USGS science by subscribing to...
Does the USGS offer field trips or classes?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) does not have a formal program for providing field trips or classes. USGS employees will sometimes lead field trips or teach classes that are organized by outside organizations, but those are not advertised by the USGS. The USGS has published numerous field-trip guides to geologic areas. Use our online Publications Warehouse to search for "field trip" or...
USGS National Center
The USGS National Center
USGS National Center North Entrance and Volcanic Crystal Columns
Granite is an igneous rock that we’ve used for building materials for thousands of years. It’s name comes from the Latin word “granum,” meaning “grain,” which refers to the grains of quartz and feldspar that define granite. This one is from the Barre formation in Vermont.
Granite is an igneous rock that we’ve used for building materials for thousands of years. It’s name comes from the Latin word “granum,” meaning “grain,” which refers to the grains of quartz and feldspar that define granite. This one is from the Barre formation in Vermont.