USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
Collaboration platform that brings together science, data, and mapping and analytical tools from across the basin
Collaboration platform that brings together science, data, and mapping and analytical tools from across the basin
Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) Initiative
Fostering Innovative Interdisciplinary Science for Characterizing and Adapting to Long-term Drought
Fostering Innovative Interdisciplinary Science for Characterizing and Adapting to Long-term Drought
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
Geonarrative presentation comparing 2023 conditions to the long-term drought in the Colorado River Basin
Geonarrative presentation comparing 2023 conditions to the long-term drought in the Colorado River Basin
Great Salt Lake Data and Reports by the USGS
Learn about Water Quantity and Quality and Aquatic Ecology of this National Treasure
Learn about Water Quantity and Quality and Aquatic Ecology of this National Treasure
Colorado River Basin Studies in Utah
Learn about Surface Water, Groundwater Quantities and Quality and Artificial Recharge of Groundwater in the Colorado River Basin in Utah
Learn about Surface Water, Groundwater Quantities and Quality and Artificial Recharge of Groundwater in the Colorado River Basin in Utah
Streamflow in the Upper Rio Grande Basin
USGS Analyses of the Effects of Potential Future Climate Conditions on Streamflows in the Upper Rio Grande Basin
USGS Analyses of the Effects of Potential Future Climate Conditions on Streamflows in the Upper Rio Grande Basin
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) Study: Upper Colorado River Basin
The USGS NGWOS Program Provides Innovative, High-fidelity, Real-time Data and Insightful Analyses about Water Quantity, Quality, and Use in Selected Watersheds across the U.S.
The USGS NGWOS Program Provides Innovative, High-fidelity, Real-time Data and Insightful Analyses about Water Quantity, Quality, and Use in Selected Watersheds across the U.S.
Rocky Mountain Region
USGS Region 7 Staff support and advise USGS Science Centers that provide numerous stakeholders with vital information about spatial distribution and temporal trends in critical minerals, energy resources, geology, water resources, native plants and wildlife, and hazards posed by earthquakes and landslides in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and beyond.
USGS Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin (Rocky Mountain)
USGS Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin (Rocky Mountain)
Map Showing USGS/DOI Unified Region 7 and adjoining Regions
Key USGS Region 7 Contacts
Key USGS Region 7 Contacts
Additional Information about USGS Region 7
Additional Information about USGS Region 7
News
New Nationwide Tool Helps Answer: Do We Have Enough Water?
New Nationwide Tool Helps Answer: Do We Have Enough Water?
FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks - Vol. 4 | Issue 1
FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks - Vol. 4 | Issue 1
New tree-ring science demonstrates successful restoration of historical fire patterns in two southwestern wilderness areas
New tree-ring science demonstrates successful restoration of historical fire patterns in two southwestern wilderness areas
Publications
Geothermal district energy systems coupled with seasonal underground thermal energy storage: A U.S. techno-economic screening by climate and geology Geothermal district energy systems coupled with seasonal underground thermal energy storage: A U.S. techno-economic screening by climate and geology
In the United States, cooling-dominated commercial building loads can cause geothermal heat pump-based district energy systems to accumulate a long-term subsurface thermal imbalance, motivating the incorporation of seasonal underground thermal energy storage. We developed a transferable workflow to evaluate geothermal district systems that pair ground heat exchangers with seasonal...
Geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence for multi-stage genesis of the Hicks Dome REE + Y-HFSE-fluorite deposit, Illinois, USA Geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence for multi-stage genesis of the Hicks Dome REE + Y-HFSE-fluorite deposit, Illinois, USA
Hicks Dome hosts breccias enriched in rare earth elements (REE), Y, Th, F, Ba, Ti, Nb, and Be, alongside spatially associated lamprophyre dikes (ca. 271 Ma). Hicks Dome is located within the Illinois–Kentucky Fluorspar District, which hosts fluorite, Pb–Zn, and barite resources. This study investigates the genetic relationships between Hicks Dome mineralization in breccias, alkaline...
Patterns of rift basin development and the fidelity of the subsidence record: Insights through Bayesian modeling of rapid tectonic subsidence in a Rio Grande rift basin, Socorro, NM, U.S.A Patterns of rift basin development and the fidelity of the subsidence record: Insights through Bayesian modeling of rapid tectonic subsidence in a Rio Grande rift basin, Socorro, NM, U.S.A
Characterizing tectonic subsidence rates within depositional sequences provides direct insight into the driving mechanism(s) of accommodation in a basin. However, the temporal resolution of this record is often stymied by a lack of high-precision and high-resolution ages, which enable a more complete description of basin subsidence drivers. We explore the effect of high-precision and...
Science
Water Quality
The USGS, in partnership with multiple other groups, is learning about water-quality conditions across time and space in terminal lakes across the Great Basin. This effort is part of the Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment.
2025 USGS Benchmark Glaciers Executive Summary
2025 Data Now Available: Explore how the USGS Benchmark Glaciers have changed in 2025
Developing Science Plans for the Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System
The Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System seeks to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant landscapes. Science is a critical piece of this effort. The US Geological Survey is working with the Bureau of Land Management to develop Science Plans to help prioritize and support science efforts to better understand and manage resources in these landscapes.