Logo of the United States Geological Survey
The
United States Geological Survey ('''USGS''') is a scientific agency of the United States government. The
scientists of the USGS study the
landscape of the
United States, its
natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning
biology,
geography,
geology, and
water.
Founded on
March 3, 1879, it is an unbiased, fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. Since 1962, it has been involved in global,
lunar and
planetary exploration and
mapping. Part of the
United States Department of the Interior, it is the department's sole scientific agency. The USGS employs approximately 10,000 people and is headquartered in
Reston,
Virginia, with major offices in
Denver,
Colorado, and
Menlo Park,
California.
The USGS is the primary civilian mapping agency in the United States, and is best known for its 1:24,000 scale, 7.5-minute quadrangle
topographic maps.
The USGS operates the
National Earthquake Information Center in
Golden, Colorado which detects the location and magnitude of earthquakes worldwide. The NEIC informs both appropriate authorities and the media, domestic and worldwide, about significant earthquakes.
The USGS
National Geomagnetism Program monitors the
magnetic field at magnetic observatories and distributes
magnetometer data in real time.
As of 2005, the agency is working to create a National Volcano Early Warning System by improving the instrumentation monitoring the 169
volcanoes in U.S. territory and by establishing methods for measuring the relative threats posed at each site.
Around 2004, by order of the US Department of Homeland Security, the USGS digitally airbrushed the US Capitol, the White House, and the residence of the Vice President (The US Naval Observatory) because of Security Concerns.
The motto of the USGS is "''science for a changing world''."
See also
External links
Category:Cartography
Category:United States Department of the Interior
de:US Geological Survey
et:USGS
pt:United States Geological Survey