USGS Science Centers across the United States are managing scientific collections, preserving them, and making these samples available for future research. Here are a few of the Science Centers and repositories across the Survey managing scientific collections.
The USGS Core Research Center, Denver, Colorado
The Core Research Center (CRC) was established in 1974 by the U.S. Geological Survey to preserve valuable rock cores for use by scientists and educators from government, industry, and academia. The cylindrical sections of rock are permanently stored and available for examination and testing at the core storage and research facility in Denver, Colorado. The CRC is currently one of the largest and most heavily used public core repositories in the United States. The CRC encourages use of its facility by all interested parties. Tours of the facility are available by appointment.
The Menlo Park Refrigerated Core and Sample Archive Facility, Menlo Park, California
The U.S. Geological Survey's Menlo Park Marine Geology Sample Repository is a United States government-funded facility that houses a national archive of marine bottom samples in the offices of the Western Region's Coastal and Marine Geology (CMG) team.
The Mercury Core Library and Data Center, Henderson, Nevada
The USGS Core Library and Data Center at Mercury, Nevada, was established as a repository for geologic, hydrologic, and geophysical data and materials collected in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) defense and environment programs at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), formerly Nevada Test Site (NTS).
Meteor Crater Sample Collection at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona
The Meteor Crater Sample Collection is an invaluable resource that makes available geologic samples from the Meteor Crater ejecta blanket. These samples were obtained during the 1970’s by USGS Astrogeology researcher Dr. David J. Roddy, who conducted a program of rotary drilling on the rim and flanks of the crater. The geologic samples in this collection were documented and curated by the USGS and are now available to the planetary science community for scientific research.
The National Ice Core Laboratory, Denver, Colorado
The U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) is a facility for storing, curating, and studying meteoric ice cores recovered from the glaciated regions of the world. NICL provides scientists with the capability to conduct examinations and measurements on ice cores, and it preserves the integrity of these ice cores in a long-term repository for future investigations.
The Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Samples Repository, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Since 2002, the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center’s Samples Repository has been supporting research by providing secure storage for geological, biological, and geochemical samples; maintaining organization and an active inventory of these sample collections; as well as by providing access to these collections for study and reuse.