Unified Interior Regions
Region 5: Missouri Basin

USGS Science Centers in the Missouri Basin Region
For more information on what each center is doing in the Missouri Basin, please follow the links below!
Wyoming - Montana Water Science Center
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
North-Central Montana Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the North-Central Montana and Williston Basin Provinces 5028 of central Montana and western North Dakota.
Montana Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Montana Thrust Belt Province 5027 of northwestern Montana.
Yellowstone River Compact Commission
The Yellowstone River Compact was ratified in 1950 and became effective in 1951. The Yellowstone River Compact Commission (YRCC) is a three member commission charged with apportioning the waters of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries.
EROS User Group
The purpose of the EROS User Group (EUG) is three-fold:
- Provide operational users of EROS products and services with an opportunity and platform to discuss opinions, needs, and concerns in a structured and consistent manner;
- Provide EROS projects with a consistent platform for targeted communications and opportunity for direct feedback from the user community on product- ...
Williston Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of conventional and continuous oil and gas resources of the Devonian Three Forks Formation and Devonian and Mississippian Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin Province 5031 of North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Water Use in Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled estimates of water use in Montana and the rest of the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950.
Early Detection Monitoring May Not Be Sufficient for Invasive Mussels in the Columbia River Basin
The ecological and economic costs of an invasive quagga or zebra mussel infestation in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. would be significant. The development of invasive mussel monitoring programs in the Pacific Northwest provides a unique opportunity to evaluate a regional invasive species detection effort early in its development. Although efforts are underway to monitor for the presence of...
EcoFlows: Understanding Streamflow Dynamics in Small Mountain Streams
The WY-MT WSC is collaborating with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center to understand the dynamics of streamflows in small, mountain streams during the course of the year, and to describe the amount of variability associated with those measurments. These findings will assist fisheries biologists who are researching temperature and streamflow effects on cutthroat trout and will help...
Algal and Other Environmental Toxins Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas
About the Laboratory
Scientists at the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL) in Lawrence, Kansas, develop and employ targeted and non-targeted analytical methods for identification and quantitation of known and understudied algal/cyanobacterial toxins. Our newly contructed (2019) 2,500 square foot modern laboratory facility has enhanced capabilities for algal...
Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas
About the Laboratory
Chemists and geologists at the Kansas Water Science Center's Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL) develop targeted and non-targeted analytical methods for the identification and quantitation of chemicals that can impact the health of humans and other organisms and use bioassays to screen for receptor inhibition. They have developed...
Upper Arkansas River Basin Toxics and Synoptic Studies
From 1986 to 2001, the Upper Arkansas Toxics Project focused on metal transport in streams affected by mining. Studies were conducted to quantify the physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting trace metal fate and transport.
Remote Sensing Phenology
Phenology is the study of plant and animal life cycles in relation to the seasons. EROS maintains a set of nine annual phenological metrics for the conterminous United States, all curated from satellite data. Taken together, the metrics represent a powerful tool for documenting life cycle trends and the impacts of climate change on ecosystems.
Schrieber wetland sites in Montana
Schrieber wetland sites in Montana
Silicon Mountain wetland sites in Montana
Silicon Mountain wetland sites in Montana
Sportsman wetland sites in Montana
Sportsman wetland sites in Montana
Tunnicliff wetland sites in Montana
Tunnicliff wetland sites in Montana
Reanalysis of Selected Archived NURE-HSSR Sediment and Soil Samples from Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah
Beginning in November of 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) undertook a project to reanalyze approximately 60,000 archived sample splits collected as part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) project from selected areas in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. A s
Streamflow Observation Points in the Pacific Northwest, 1977-2016
This dataset includes spatial locations in the Pacific Northwest where streamflow observations were recorded. For the purpose of this investigation, all streamflow observations were converted into wet or dry indicator values.
Streamflow Statistics
Streamflow statistics for the state of Kansas.
Cowskin Creek Flood Watch
A Map showing various levels of the 1998 Cowskin Creek Flood.
National Water Information System web interface (NWISweb)
The National Water Information System (NWIS) web application provides access to real-time and historical surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites across all 50 states.
Statewide Historic Water-Quality Data
Field/lab samples, real-time data, and tutorial
Fluid Inclusion Noble Gas Data from Goldfield and Tonopah Epithermal Au-Ag Deposits
Twenty-five ore and gangue mineral separates from the Miocene-age Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits in southwestern Nevada were analyzed to determine the helium, neon, and argon (He, Ne, and Ar) isotopic compositions contained in fluid inclusions. Four mineral separates from the Butte Main Stage vein deposit and two from the Bingham pyrite-enargite vein deposits were als
South Dakota Water Quality Data
At selected surface-water and groundwater sites, the USGS maintains instruments that continuously record physical and chemical characteristics of the water including pH, specific conductance, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and percent dissolved-oxygen saturation. Supporting data such as air temperature and barometric pressure are also available at some sites.
Winter Streamflow Measurement at the Rush River at Amenia, ND
USGS Hydrologic Technician Chris Broz attempting to find flow at the Rush River at Amenia, ND (USGS streamgage 05060500). It took the technicians an hour to dig through the snow drift under the wire weight gage just to get to the ice. Then they drilled holes in the ice so they could see if there was any water to measure.
Winter Streamflow Measurement at South Fork Grand River near Cash, SD
USGS Hydrologic technician Sarah Davis measuring streamflow at the South Fork Grand River near Cash, SD (streamgage 06356500) on January 31, 2019. Measuring the streamflow under ice requires drilling holes across the width of the stream and then collecting data from each hole. At times streams can freeze solid but drilling holes are necessary to verify that. The
...Bison in Badlands National Park
Bison in the grasslands of Badlands National Park. Tens of millions of bison once roamed this region, but were nearly eliminated by the early 20th century due to overhunting. Bison were brought back to Badlands in 1963 and the population has thrived. The park is concerned about how water and forage availability might change as the climate changes, and what this
...Location of Study Area (Includes Flaxville Aquifer)
Location of Study Area (Includes Flaxville Aquifer and Lustre Oil Fields) and Sampling Sites From Previous USGS Studies
Land Change in the Black Hills - LCMAP
Animation of land cover change in the Black Hills, created using Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection data from the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.
An Introduction to the AppEEARS Point Sampler
This short video provides a quick demonstration of the Point Sample using the Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AρρEEARS).
AppEEARS provides a simple and efficient way to subset, transform, and visualize geospatial data distributed from a variety of federal archives. The following topics are discussed in the video: how to submit a
Using the Advanced Criteria in EarthExplorer
EarthExplorer helps users get to exactly the scenes they want. The Additional Criteria tab helps users pick scenes that meet specific requirements.
This video will show you how to utilize the Additional Criteria tab in EarthExplorer.
You can find additional videos on tools and types of imagery available on this website:
Kristi Sayler at LCMAP workshop
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientist Kristi Sayler speaks to participants in a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection in Sioux Falls, SD.
Roger Auch Presentation at LCMAP Workshop
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientist Roger Auch presents on Land Change in the Piedmont Ecoregion at a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection in Sioux Falls, SD.
LCMAP Workshop - Validation
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center contractor Bruce Pengra presents on LCMAP validation during a workshop in Sioux Falls, SD.
Zhe Zhu and Curtis Woodcock at LCMAP workshop
Texas Tech University's Zhe Zhu and Boston University's Curtis Woodcock at a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
New Center Director to sustain NOROCK’s tradition of productivity and partnership in generating ground-breaking science relevant to resource managers in the Northern Rocky Mountains and beyond.
The USGS Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in partnership with the Nebraska Intelligent MoBile Unmanned Systems Lab (NIMBUS) and the Applied Complex Adaptive Systems Lab have designed a drone prototype that drops balls filled with combustible material that ignites fire as part of prescribed fire management.
Study shows water quality minimally affected in nearby streams and groundwater
Highest concentrations found in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois.
First-of-its-kind survey shows that algal toxins are found nationwide
The U.S. Geological Survey and its partners have shown how brucellosis has impacted cattle, bison and elk in the greater Yellowstone area.
Past fireworks displays are the probable cause of elevated concentrations of a contaminant called perchlorate in groundwater and surface water within Mount Rushmore National Memorial, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey report.
South Dakota-based scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey are helping to restore a depleted aquifer and build in-country expertise for managing groundwater in the Ararat Basin of Armenia.
This week's EarthView is a scorcher!
During winter, wolves infected with mange can suffer a substantial amount of heat loss compared to those without the disease, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners.
Media and the public are invited to attend a free meeting about South Dakota water issues on Thursday, April 7, in Rapid City, South Dakota.