Who is the Research Drilling Program

How RDP Is Organized

The rock, sediment, and water beneath the land surface shape groundwater supply, mineral resources, and geologic hazards, and none of it can be observed directly. The USGS Research Drilling Program reaches it: coring, rotary drilling, and monitoring well installation to depths of 5,000 feet for science centers and cooperating agencies nationwide.

Operations Group
Operations is the coordination point for RDP projects. The group manages budgets, travel logistics, time and attendance, and purchasing, and it schedules crews and equipment across projects running concurrently in different parts of the country. Operations also carries communication and workflow among the Drill, On-site Geologists, Land Surveyor, and Data groups, keeping field activity, data collection, and reporting aligned from the planning stage through project closeout.

Drill Group
The Drill Group, led by the Lead Driller, carries out all field activities related to drilling. This includes mobilizing and setting up the rigs, operating them through the drilling program, managing bits, drilling fluids, casing, and other supplies and materials, and conducting operations safely at sites that range from established facilities to remote backcountry locations. The Lead Driller sets the drilling approach for each hole in consultation with the project science team and adjusts it as subsurface conditions become clear.

On-site Geologists Group
The On-site Geologists Group, headed by the Lead Geologist, collects and compiles scientific data at the drill site while drilling is in progress. Members identify and describe lithology, the rock and sediment types recovered as the hole advances; log drilling processes, rates, and times, which are themselves indicators of changing subsurface conditions; and collect borehole geophysical data by lowering instruments into the hole to measure properties of the surrounding formation. Compiling these records as the work proceeds allows the project science team to respond to what is found.

Land Surveyor Group
The Land Surveyor Group, led by the Lead Surveyor, visits drill locations to install geodetic survey markers and conduct Level 3 GNSS static surveys. These surveys fix the position and elevation of the borehole precisely enough that measurements from the hole can be compared with other sites and tracked over time. The resulting position data are submitted for evaluation and permanent storage.

Data Group
The Data Group, under the Lead Data Organizer, compiles data from all participating groups and archives it in the appropriate databases, including log databases, the National Water Information System (NWIS), and State and local repositories. Archiving in these systems keeps the data available to researchers well beyond the life of the original project. The group also summarizes project activities in internal memos distributed to cooperators when drilling concludes.