Virginia
Geologic Framework for Seismic Hazards in Central Virginia
The Central Virginia seismic zone (CVSZ) comprises an area of ~13,000 km2 in the central Virginia Piedmont; seismicity in this zone is relatively frequent, but generally mild in magnitude. The August 2011 event was the largest temblor recorded in the CVSZ since the development of modern seismic monitoring and highlighted how little we actually know about the CVSZ, including: 1) the...
Appalachian Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The USGS has conducted numerous assessments of undiscovered oil and gas in the Appalachian Basin, including studies of the Marcellus Shale. The region extends from Alabama to Maine. The following is an overview of the assessments:
- 2019 Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale (FS 2019-3044)
- 2019 ...
A National-scale River Corridor Model- Jud Harvey
The need for better models and more effective use of data to characterize river corridor transport processes is keenly felt, from evaluating the effectiveness of river and watershed management practices all the way to clarifying regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act.
The health of maritime forests in three Mid-Atlantic National Seashores
The 2017 Work Plan for the National Resources Protection Program (NRPP) project on Fire Island, Sandy Hook, and Assateague includes a description of the issues and implications; description of the methods; and summary of the 2017 tasks, including site selection, well and instrumentation installation, and monitoring groundwater levels, temperature, and specific conductance.
Pollen Laboratory
In this lab, we specialize in extracting pollen palynomorphs from geologic field samples. We also assist our center's scientists with outreach programs to educate students and inform policy makers as to the importance of our science.
Hurricane Matthew: Flood Resources and Tools
During and after Hurricane Matthew, the USGS made flood-flow measurements, maintained streamgages, deployed over 390 instruments, and developed geospatial products to measure and communicate the extent of coastal and inland flooding.
Collecting Ecological Data and Models of Living Shoreline Restoration Projects
Developing effective living shoreline restoration projects that can withstand hurricanes and storms requires a better understanding of how restoration structures reduce the impact of wave and current energy on marsh edges in estuaries and bays. Without this knowledge, existing living shoreline projects and adaptive management measures are more likely to fail, decreasing the possibility for...
Monitoring Land-Surface Deformation in the Virginia Coastal Plain
Land-surface deformation in eastern Virginia is being monitored to evaluate effects of groundwater pumping and wastewater injection on land-surface movement and relative sea-level rise.
Bird Banding Laboratory
The Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is an integrated scientific program established in 1920 supporting the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of information from banded and marked birds in North America. This information is used to monitor the status and trends of resident and migratory bird populations. Because birds are good indicators of the health of the environment, the...
The National Geologic Map Database - NGMDB
The National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB) is a distributed archive of geoscience information for the Nation. It was mandated by the Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 and is cooperatively built and maintained by the USGS and State Geological Surveys. We welcome you to explore the archive, view the maps, and help us to...
Heavy-Mineral Sand Resources in the Southeastern U.S.
We are assessing the extent of industrial mineral resources hosted by heavy-mineral sands in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. “Heavy-mineral sands" (HMS) is a term commonly used in industry and geologic literature to describe layered sediments deposited in coastal environments that contain dense (“heavy") minerals of economic value. The heavy minerals extracted from these...
Hurricane Joaquin - Forecast and Documentation of Coastal Change
Hurricane Joaquin coastal change forecast and pre- and post-storm photos documenting coastal change.