News and Press Releases from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Unconventional Oil and Gas Production Not Currently Affecting Drinking Water Quality

A new U.S. Geological Survey study shows that unconventional oil and gas production in some areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas is not currently a significant source of methane or benzene to drinking water wells. These production areas ...

Jun. 1, 2017

Increasing Aridity and Land-use Overlap Have Potential to Cause Social and Economic Conflict in Dryland Areas

Climate change combined with overlapping high-intensity land uses are likely to create conditions detrimental to the recreation economy, wildlife habitat, water availability and other resources in hyper-arid landscapes, or drylands, in the future, ...

May 24, 2017

Ocean Absorption of Carbon Dioxide More than Makes Up for Methane Emissions from Seafloor Methane Seeps

The ocean waters near the surface of the Arctic Ocean absorbed 2,000 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the amount of methane that escaped into the atmosphere from the same waters, according to a study by the USGS Gas Hydrates ...

May 8, 2017

New Map Shows How Groundwater Pumping Could Affect the Malad River

A new report illustrates how groundwater pumping can affect the amount of water available in streams within the Malad-Lower Bear River Area in Utah. The product was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Utah ...

Apr. 6, 2017

USGS Assessment of Brackish Water Could Help Nation Stretch Limited Freshwater Supplies

A new nationwide assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that the nation’s brackish groundwater could help stretch limited freshwater supplies. This study, the first of its kind in more than 50 years, found that the amount ...

Apr. 5, 2017

Study Evaluates Critical Mineral-Resource Potential in Alaska

A new method for evaluating the resource potential for large, underexplored regions for critical minerals in Alaska is now available online. Critical minerals are used in products that are vital to national security, technology, and also play an ...

Mar. 15, 2017

USGS Finds Elevated Levels of Arsenic, Radon, Methane in Some Private Wells in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Tests of 75 private drinking water wells in Lycoming County, in north-central Pennsylvania, found water from most of the sampled wells contained concentrations of radon that exceeded a proposed, nonbinding health standard for drinking water. Smaller ...

Mar. 7, 2017

Caribou Appear to Keep up with Warming Arctic

According to a recent study, Alaska caribou do not appear to be facing what is known as a mismatch, created when caribou migrate and give birth to calves at similar timeframes each year, while a warming climate has changed the peak ...

Mar. 7, 2017

New USGS Streamgages Provide Flood Monitoring for Additional Philadelphia Neighborhoods

Philadelphia communities along the Schuylkill River and Darby Creek now have new tools to help inform residents of impending flooding. The U.S. Geological Survey recently installed three new streamgages in Manayunk, Eastwick, and downtown ...

Feb. 28, 2017

Updated Maps on Induced and Natural Earthquake Hazards — Press Conference

This is an update to their 2016 forecast and the second year both types of hazards are forecasted, as previous USGS maps only identified hazards from natural earthquakes. The new report is valuable for making more informed decisions to ...

Feb. 23, 2017

New Approach Assesses Land Recovery Following Oil and Gas Drilling

A new scientific approach can now provide regional assessments of land recovery following oil and gas drilling activities, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. ...

Feb. 7, 2017

US Mines Produced an Estimated $74.6 Billion in Minerals during 2016

The information comes from the 40th annual Mineral Commodity Summaries report, the earliest comprehensive source of 2016 mineral production data for the world. It includes statistics on more than 88 mineral commodities that are important to the U.S. ...

Jan. 31, 2017

Uranium in Spring Water North of Grand Canyon Likely Not Related to Nearby Mining Activity

Pigeon Spring had elevated uranium levels in recent samples from 2012-2014 (73-92 micrograms per liter), compared to other perched springs in the same drainage area (2.7–18 micrograms per liter), and was proportionally elevated in ...

Jan. 24, 2017

Coal-Tar-Sealant a Major Source of PAH Contamination in Milwaukee Streams

Runoff from pavement with coal-tar-based sealant is the primary source of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, to streambed sediments in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to a U.S. Geological Survey and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage ...

Dec. 22, 2016

USGS Releases Results of Gem County Groundwater Quality Study

The entire population of southwestern Idaho’s Gem County depends on aquifers for its drinking water. The water in those aquifers is of generally good quality according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released today. The study was ...

Dec. 21, 2016

USGS Releases First Tool Since 1980s Assessing Water Availability in Northern High Plains Aquifer

A new U.S. Geological Survey publication and model can be applied by multiple entities to better understand flow, quantity, sources and sinks of groundwater in the Northern High Plains Aquifer, which covers approximately 100,000 square ...

Dec. 14, 2016

Streamflow and Springflow Data for Comal and San Marcos Rivers, Texas Now Available Online

The Comal and San Marcos Springs, the two largest springs in Texas, provide water for supply and recreational uses, as well as habitat for endangered and threatened species. Understanding the amount of springflow is critical for water resource ...

Dec. 8, 2016

USGS Groundwater Model: New Tool for Communities in Northern and Central Arizona

A new groundwater model of the interconnected aquifers in central and northern Arizona was released today by the U.S. Geological Survey, following a multi-year development effort that involved the Arizona Department of Water Resources and regional ...

Nov. 30, 2016

Study to Uncover Yellowstone’s Subsurface Mysteries

A new study providing an unprecedented regional view of the earth’s crust beneath Yellowstone National Park will begin with a helicopter electromagnetic and magnetic (HEM) survey on November 7, 2016. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, ...

Nov. 3, 2016

Wastewater Disposal Likely Induced February 2016 Magnitude 5.1 Oklahoma Earthquake

Distant wastewater disposal wells likely induced the third largest earthquake in recent Oklahoma record, the Feb. 13, 2016, magnitude 5.1 event roughly 32 kilometers northwest of Fairview, Oklahoma. These findings from the U.S. Geological Survey ...

Oct. 24, 2016

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) News