The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March 3, 1879, to study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The agency also makes maps of planets and moons, based on data from U.S. space probes. The sole scientific agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. It is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with major offices near Lakewood, Colorado; at the Denver Federal Center; and in NASA Research Park in California. In 2009, it employed about 8,670 people. The current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is "science for a changing world". The agency's previous slogan, adopted on its hundredth anniversary, was "Earth Science in the Public Service".
History
Prior Surveys In the early-1800s, geological surveys were conducted by states and private individuals to support agriculture as a result of westward migration after the War of 1812. The first Federal survey was conducted in 1834 by George William Featherstonhaugh under the Topographical Bureau of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create a geological map of the United States. This was followed by other geological explorations like the United States Exploring Expedition and the establishment of the Corps of Topographical Engineers led by John James Abert. As minerals like gold were being discovered in the west, land surveys became necessary as part of Manifest destiny. As a result, various states set up geological survey institutions in the mid-1800s, e.g., the Kentucky Geological Survey, established in 1854. On March 2, 1867, Congress authorized explorations focused on the geology along the Transcontinental railroad under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led by Clarence King and a survey of the natural resources of Nebraska under the General Land Office led by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. The explorations led to the creation of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories which included surveys led by John Wesley Powell (Powell Geographic Expedition of 1869) and George Wheeler (Wheeler Survey). Hayden also received funding for the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871.
Creation In 1879, a National Academy of Sciences report suggested the creation of an agency dedicated to the study of geology and environmental resources on public domain. This agency would be distinct from the existing Coast and Geodetic Survey, which would focus on measurements of geodesy instead of geology. The report prompted Congress to establish the USGS as a last-minute amendment to a sundry appropriations bill on March 3, 1879. The Organic Act of 1879 was signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes and established the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey under the Department of the Interior, it charged the new agency with the "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain." The legislation also discontinued the existing surveys led by Hayden, Powell, and Wheeler on June 30, 1879. The earliest responsibilities of the USGS was to survey and classify public lands for the existence of minerals following the Land Ordinance of 1785. At the time, the government owned 1.2 billion acres of land as a result of the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican–American War, yet only 200 million acres were surveyed. Clarence King was appointed as the first director of USGS, assembling the new organization from disparate regional survey agencies. He focused on economic development for mining in the west, and resigned to pursue opportunities in the mining industry. After two years, King was succeeded by John Wesley Powell, who expanded the mission of the agency.
Organizational structure
The USGS is led by the Director which is appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate. The Director is not allowed to have personal or private interests in the lands being surveyed, and is not allowed to survey for private parties or corporations. The agency is headquartered in Reston, Virginia within the USGS National Center. Science research is split into five "Mission Areas" that are aligned with themes in the USGS Science Strategy. This allows research to be interdisciplinary and groups science programs under a broad category. Each Mission Area is led by an Associate Director that reports directly to the Director. Specific science research is further broken down into seven geographical regions which are led by Regional Directors that report to the Deputy Director of Operations. The regions are aligned with the Department of the Interior Unified Regions. Administrative services are centralized and report to the Deputy Director of Administration and Policy.
Regions
Each of the seven regions has a field office which focuses on research specific to that region's geography and conditions, supporting science programs and facilities located within each region.
Region 1: Northeast Region 2: Southeast Region 3: Midcontintent Region 4: Rocky Mountain Region 5: Southwest Region 6: Northwest-Pacific Islands Region 7: Alaska
Mission Areas The five Mission Areas categorize research into topics each with individual programs and facilities.
Core Science Systems The Core Science Systems Mission Area is the fundamental research division for everything in the Earth's critical zone. Its activities focus on structural geology, geomorphology, geophysics, and geography. In addition to evaluating land through remote sensing, as well as analyzing evolutionary biology and biogeography. The work is supported by computer science and aims to distribute data through maps or other mediums as foundation for all other Mission Areas. The Mission Area is formed around a "Modular Science Framework" with the goal of contributing to the Digital Earth. The programs under the Core Science Systems Mission Area include:
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