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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.

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

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Amu Darya Basin Province of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, 2026 Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Amu Darya Basin Province of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, 2026

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean continuous resources of 519 million barrels of oil and 82.9 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Amu Darya Basin Province of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.
Authors
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Andrea D. Cicero, Sarah E. Gelman, Jane S. Hearon, Benjamin G. Johnson, Jenny H. Lagesse, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller

Remotely sensed surface water storage shows distinct patterns from SWAT-simulated data Remotely sensed surface water storage shows distinct patterns from SWAT-simulated data

Quantifying and projecting the downstream benefits of water stored in lakes and wetlands (SWstorage) requires watershed hydrologic models, which often parameterize surface water storage in topographic depressions using static digital elevation model (DEM) data. Calibration and validation of modeled SWstorage dynamics using external data sets is uncommon, particularly across major river...
Authors
Wayana Dolan, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Jay R. Christensen, Heather E. Golden, Charles R. Lane, Adnan Rajib, William Keenan, Qianjin Zheng, Arushi Khare

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...
Authors
Scott Mello, Hyunjun Oh, Whitney J. Trainor-Guitton, Ryan Cain Cahalan, Jeffrey D. Pepin, Erick R. Burns

Science

Modernized Breeding Bird Survey Portal

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Portal is a modern information system that enables volunteer observers and regional coordinators to manage survey routes, enter field data, and coordinate route assignments online. The portal replaces legacy paper-based and outdated digital workflows with a streamlined interface built for the BBS community. Observers can view their assigned routes...
Modernized Breeding Bird Survey Portal

Modernized Breeding Bird Survey Portal

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Portal is a modern information system that enables volunteer observers and regional coordinators to manage survey routes, enter field data, and coordinate route assignments online. The portal replaces legacy paper-based and outdated digital workflows with a streamlined interface built for the BBS community. Observers can view their assigned routes...
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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.
Water Quality

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.
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2025 USGS Benchmark Glaciers Executive Summary

2025 Data Now Available: Explore how the USGS Benchmark Glaciers have changed in 2025
2025 USGS Benchmark Glaciers Executive Summary

2025 USGS Benchmark Glaciers Executive Summary

2025 Data Now Available: Explore how the USGS Benchmark Glaciers have changed in 2025
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