News
Science Snippets
Want some fun facts and interesting snippets of science? Then you came to the right place.
Scientists Ground Truth What Influences Hurricanes
Scientists looked back 10 to 13 thousand years to gain real-world insight into the environmental factors that influence hurricanes near Florida and, by extension, the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
EarthWord–Cracking
This EarthWord is probably what you’ve been doing thanks to our fantastic puns...
EarthWord–Continuous Resources
This EarthWord may sound infinite, but it actually refers to a type of finite resource...
New Uranium Mineral Named for USGS Scientist
Everyone’s seen the news–scientists discover a new species of fly and name it for Beyonce; scientists discover a new species of monkey and auction its name off; etc. Hundreds of new species of animals, plants, and other organisms are discovered and named every year. But did you know that dozens of minerals are discovered every year too?
“Geologic Open House” at Great Falls Park Announced
To celebrate Earth Science Week and Geologic Map Day, the USGS, in collaboration with the American Geosciences Institute, is pleased to announce a “Geologic Open House” on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at Great Falls Park, near McLean, Va.
Hazard a Guess? The riskiest science quiz you will ever take!
True or False: Lightning that takes place during a volcanic eruption is the same as lightning that occurs during a thunderstorm?
Exploring the Nation's waterways through the National Hydrography Dataset Plus
Interested in finding a good river to float down this hot summer? Or a favorite fishing hole? Ever wonder where those blue lines mapping the rivers, streams and lakes on the US Topo and other maps come from?
Volunteering to Map the Nation
As the USGS continues to celebrate “Mapping Month”, we again promote noteworthy contributors to The National Map Corps “crowdsourcing” project.
Unusual Suspects: Diving Ducks and Avian influenza
Due to the global threat to health and human safety posed by avian influenza monitoring has been conducted in the United States to determine the prevalence of such viruses in our wild waterfowl.
Volunteering for Science
Citizen Scientists edit structures to improve US Topo Maps and along the way earn virtual badges.
Rich, Attractive, and Extremely Shallow
No, it’s not a title for a new reality-dating TV show, but it is real science! It also describes the ideal mineral deposit.
Searching for Great Geological Maps
The USGS announces details for the 2017 Best Student Geological Map Competition