Who We Are
Our scientists include geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, chemists, economists, engineers, statisticians, biologists, data scientists, GIS specialists and many more.
Our Mission Area has two programs: the Energy Resources Program and Mineral Resources Program. Our seven USGS science centers and team of scientists conduct research across the Nation and around the globe. Our scientists come from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.
Meet the Science Centers
Geology, Energy, and Minerals Science Center
The GEMSC provides earth-science information and interpretations essential to building a framework for the identification and assessment of economically stable and environmentally sound resources of petroleum, natural gas, and coal. The Center addresses the economic and environmental effects of energy production and studies emerging resources including gas hydrates, geothermal resources, uranium, oil shale, bitumen and heavy oil, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. In addition, the Center conducts unbiased research on the occurrence, quality, and quantity, and availability of mineral resources in order to help the Nation make informed decisions using earth-science information.
National Minerals Information Center (NMIC)
The National Minerals Information Center provides statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials essential to the U.S. economy, national security, and protection of the environment.
Science and Decisions Center (SDC)
The Science and Decisions Center conducts research to increase the use and value of science in decision-making. The SDC’s multidisciplinary efforts focus on improved decision-making throughout a variety of natural resource science disciplines, including energy and mineral resources.
Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC)
The Central Energy Resources Science Center studies processes critical to the formation, accumulation, occurrence, and alteration of geologically based energy resources; prepares resource assessments including multi-resource analysis of the energy-water nexus; and evaluates the environmental and socioeconomic effects of energy resource occurrence, production, and use.
Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center (GGGSC)
The Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center applies expertise in geology, geophysics, and geochemistry to interdisciplinary efforts to address the Nation’s important earth science issues, with an emphasis on mineral resources.
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center (GMEG)
Scientists with the GMEG Science Center work on issues related to geologic processes, mineral and energy resource potential such as rare-earth elements and geothermal resources, and past climate, primarily in the Western United States. The science staff includes geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, biologists, and geographic information systems specialists located in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
The Alaska Science Center provides objective and timely data, information, and research findings about the earth and its flora and fauna to Federal, State, and local resource managers and the public to support sound decisions regarding natural resources, natural hazards, and ecosystems in Alaska and circumpolar regions. Geologic research conducted at the ASC encompasses a wide range of topics including bedrock geology, and mineral and energy resources. Alaska is still a frontier with respect to geologic investigation and has high potential for holding undiscovered strategic mineral commodities and petroleum resources. The ASC supports Earth MRI activities in Alaska and provides GIS and database support for Alaska based research projects.
Additional Capabilities
The USGS TRIGA® Reactor (GSTR) is a low–enriched uranium–fueled, pool–type reactor. The mission of the TRIGA® is to support USGS science by providing information on geologic, plant, and animal specimens to advance methods and techniques unique to nuclear reactors. The reactor is also used to produce nuclear changes in rock and mineral samples to determine their ages. Elemental analyses using other methods often result in data of less precision and (or) less accuracy. The GSTR provides high-quality data on rock and mineral elemental composition using state-of-the-art techniques while providing the research tools needed to develop new and improved analytical techniques.
Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe – Reverse Geometry Laboratory (SHRIMP-RG Lab)
The SHRIMP-RG is at Stanford University as a result of a partnership between the USGS and Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. The laboratory has been jointly operational since 1998, supporting scientists and students from the USGS, Stanford, and external visitors from around the world who visit the laboratory to analyze specimens for a variety of scientific research objectives. Geological applications include determining ages of granite and other types of plutonic rock bodies, volcanic ash beds, metamorphic recrystallization of rocks, and formation of metallic ore deposits, as well as ages of individual sand grains that have been deposited by water and wind. The SHRIMP–RG’s high mass-resolving power also allows key trace element concentrations in accessory minerals to be determined, revealing origins of these minerals.