News
National News Releases
Browse through a comprehensive list of all national USGS news items.
USGS Scientists Develop New Tool to Determine if Vermiculite Insulation Contains Asbestos
U.S. Geological Survey scientists and partners have created an onsite, time-saving technique for building inspectors to ascertain whether vermiculite insulation contains amphibole asbestos. The findings are featured in the April 2 edition of American Mineralogist.
Earthquake Early Warning! New Study Examines Safety Potentials and Limits
In a newly published study, U.S. Geological Survey scientists and their partners calculate possible alert times that earthquake early warning systems can provide people at different levels of ground motion from light to very strong shaking.
New genetic test detects manatees' recent presence in fresh or saltwater
Environmental DNA picks up traces of the elusive mammals’ saliva, skin, waste, or exhaled breaths.
Interior Seeks Public Comment on Draft List of 35 Minerals Deemed Critical to U.S. National Security and the Economy
List includes minerals key to all sectors of economy including tech and defense
U.S. Mines Produced an Estimated $75.2 Billion in Minerals During 2017
U.S. mines produced an estimated $75.2 billion of raw mineral materials in 2017 – a 6 percent increase over 2016 – the U.S. Geological Survey announced Wednesday, January 31, in its annual Mineral Commodity Summaries.
3-D Structure of Buried Ice Sheets on Mars Revealed by High-Resolution Images
For the first time, high-resolution images show the three-dimensional structure of massive ice deposits on Mars. According to an in-depth analysis led by the USGS, the images reveal never-before-observed details about the ice sheets, including that some begin just a few feet below the Martian surface and extend to depths greater than 300 feet.
New Interior Department Survey Shows Significant Increase in Recoverable Energy Resources in Federal, State and Tribal Lands and Waters in Alaska
The Department of the Interior has announced petroleum assessments from the
Scientists Home in on Causes of High Radium Levels in Key Midwestern Aquifer
Oxygen levels, dissolved minerals among factors responsible for high concentrations of radium in untreated water from aquifer that underlies six states
Avian Flu From Abroad Can Spread in North American Poultry, Wild Birds
Some avian influenza, or bird flu, viruses that are able to enter North America from other continents through migrating birds can be deadly to poultry and can infect waterfowl populations, according to a recently published U.S. Geological Survey study.
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Reveals a Cryptic Methane-Fueled Ecosystem in Flooded Caves
In the underground rivers and flooded caves of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where Mayan lore described a fantastical underworld, scientists have found a cryptic world in its own right.
Previous Evidence of Water on Mars Now Identified as Grainflows
Dark features previously proposed as evidence for significant liquid water flowing on Mars have now been identified as granular flows, where sand and dust move rather than liquid water, according to a new article published in Nature Geoscience by the U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS-NASA Pecora Award Recognizes Excellence in Earth Observation
Two awardees have been presented with the 2017 William T. Pecora Award for achievements in Earth remote sensing.