USGS Cooperative National Geologic Map Now Covers 50 States, U.S. Territories

This version is the first digital map to provide standardized geologic data for all 50 states and most territories. Through the innovative map interface developed by the USGS National Geologic Map Database, anyone can view and interact with the map data to learn more about the Nation’s geologic framework, resources, and hazards.

“Mapping our nation is critically important to identify and access the energy and mineral resources we need to support and grow the American economy,” Assistant Secretary of the Interior Andrea Travnicek said. “Geologic maps highlight locations of minerals, energy potential, and other natural resources. Better information will drive the mineral and energy economy, support advanced manufacturing and national defense, and free us from mineral dependence on foreign adversaries.”

Map version 2.0 brings some of the nation’s most remote and geologically complex regions into standardized view for the first time, for example:

• Alaska: Alaska’s vast size, remoteness, and geologic complexity have long made it one of the most difficult regions in the country to map comprehensively, and one of the most important, given its abundant energy and mineral resources. Alaska’s geology, from the Aleutians to the North Slope, is now searchable by age, material, and rock type, the kind of detail that can guide resource exploration in a state with incredibly abundant energy and mineral resources. Previous USGS efforts to synthesize more than a century of work conducted by the USGS and the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys made the rapid inclusion in version 2.0 possible.
• Hawaii: Despite the challenges of mapping in heavily vegetated and a rapidly evolving geologic setting, Hawaii’s geology from Ni’ihau to the Big Island was mapped in detail by the USGS, including basalt flows, rift zones, and volcanic hazard areas. Providing this information as a foundational map supports hazard monitoring, groundwater characterization, and land-use planning.
• U.S. Territories: Most U.S. territories are included for the first time, spanning volcanic islands in the Pacific to coral-built islands and coastal terrain in the Caribbean. This includes all of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam; parts of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and part of American Samoa.
• These maps also reflect decades of mapping history, from World War II military geology studies to locally published updates of older USGS maps, and state-of-the-art compilations from the past year. 

“This comprehensive digital map now covers the geology of nearly the entire nation, from Alaska’s North Slope to Kilaeua in Hawaii, Cerro de Punta in Puerto Rico, and Mount Katahdin, Maine. Alaska’s extraordinary geologic resource potential is included for the first time,” said USGS Director Ned Mamula.

The first version of the National Cooperative Geologic Map, released in August 2025, covered the Lower 48 states and was produced using a new automated approach to national-scale mapping. Version 2.0 shows how quickly that approach can scale: building on the same standardized data format and the same partnerships with state geological surveys, USGS was able to add these vast and remote areas in a fraction of the time that traditional mapping methods would require.

In 2020, the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists published a standardized digital map format, the Geologic Map Schema, or GeMS.  With that process in place, GeMS has also provided the roadmap for regular growth and improvements. For example, version 2.0 was able to incorporate a new geologic map of Wisconsin in minutes after discussion with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey to align terminology. This model will continue in coming years as the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program funds new mapping by states that will feed directly into future updates of the Cooperative National Geologic Map.

Digital geologic maps are highly complex and, traditionally, have been mostly used by persons with technical knowledge using advanced software to view and explore the data.  To enable the public to view and explore this, a highly innovative Web map interface was developed by the USGS National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB, see the link to “National Geology”). Version 1.0 of the map interface proved to be a popular and useful introduction to the Nation’s geologic resources.  User suggestions for enhancements to the interface resulted in additional functionality in this new release. The NGMDB also provides direct access to the map database, via file downloads and through ArcGIS Online.  The Cooperative National Geologic Map and the NGMDB are funded by the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.

 

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