2007-2011 Program Plan
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NATIONAL COOPERATIVE GEOLOGIC
MAPPING PROGRAM
PROGRAM PLAN
2007-2011
Peter Lyttle, Program Coordinator, 703-648-6943, plyttle@usgs.gov
Randall Orndorff, Associate Program Coordinator, 703-648-4316, rorndorf@usgs.gov
Laurel Bybell, Associate Program Coordinator, 703-648-5281, lbybell@usgs.gov
Lydia Quintana, Program Analyst, 703-648-6973, lquintan@usgs.gov
Kelly Valoris, Program Assistant, 703-648-4507, kvaloris@usgs.gov
April 2007
Contents
Cooperate with Federal Land Management Agencies. 15
Create Geologic Frameworks for Understanding Water Resources. 16
Create Geologic Frameworks for Use in Hazard Mitigation. 19
Understand Surficial Processes. 20
Produce Onshore-Offshore Geologic Maps. 21
Annual Targets for PART and GPRA.. 21
Annual Targets for PART and GPRA.. 24
Annual Targets for PART and GPRA.. 25
Annual Targets for PART and GPRA.. 27
Annual Targets for PART and GPRA.. 29
Annual Targets for PART and GPRA.. 31
IV. Program Review and Strategic Planning. 32
NCGMP Five-year plan draft document 2007-2011
I. Executive Summary
In the next five years, the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) anticipates several significant advances in delivery of our flagship products—geologic maps and reports on Earth history and processes. In this plan we often use the term "geologic map" in an expansive and inclusive manner. Not only do we use the term to mean the traditional paper geologic map that contains text describing the depositional and tectonic history of a particular area, cross sections portraying rocks below the surface of the Earth, correlation charts based on profound amounts of paleontologic and isotopic dating, but we also are talking about new digital products that are databases created with powerful software such as EarthVision. This is an exciting time to be a geologic mapper. Not only does one still have the opportunity to collect information by hiking over beautiful mountains and deserts, but we now are able to combine our data with a broad array of other geologic information, and present that integrated information using powerful visualization techniques that allow anyone to see the "secrets" that only well-trained geologists could understand in the past.
Since passage of the National Geologic Mapping Act (NGMA) in 1992, a durable partnership has been forged between the USGS and the Association of American State Geologists. This partnership has proudly promoted the education component of the program (EDMAP) that to date has trained and mentored more than 600 students at more than 130 universities across the Nation. The program has been tracking these students for several years, and has learned that they are a highly motivated group that continues their geoscience education at a greater rate than average, and to positions where their mapping skills are used and valued. During the past few years, the program has tried to diversify the applicant pool by visiting a number of historically black and tribal universities. During the next five years, we plan to increase this activity and will solicit help from organizations such as the Geological Society of America, the American Geological Institute, and the American Institute of Professional Geologists.
During the past 5 years NCGMP has worked hard to encourage cooperative mapping projects between USGS staff and staff at state geological surveys. We have discovered many instances where the federal and state priorities for geologic mapping have significant overlap, and that leveraging funds and expertise can accomplish the task more efficiently. We have also learned that these cooperative projects offer a rich mentoring environment for university students receiving training through the EDMAP component of the program. The program anticipates that during the next five years the need for sharing expertise and staff will grow, and the opportunities for joint cooperative mapping projects will increase.
NCGMP funding for ground-water related research increased steadily over the past five years in response to national needs recognized in the program’s previous 5-year plan. As with all geologic maps, and most NCGMP research, products originally proposed for one primary purpose, has been used to achieve a range of other outcomes. For instance, many 3-D geologic framework studies in the greater
The NCGMP will continue to be an active participant in the formation of the standards, goals, and implementation plan for the new National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) within the USGS Geologic Discipline. Within the context of data preservation, the NCGMP will create a USGS National Paleontological Preservation Database. By the end of 2010, all USGS paleontologic databases will be served through a common portal. NCGMP will also explore how best to play a role in the worldwide geologic mapping data integration effort known as OneGeology, working with over 50 other national geological surveys.
Since NCGMP was created by the National Geologic Mapping Act in 1992, publication of geologic maps by the USGS and the 50 state geological surveys has been something of a cottage industry--independent and diverse. In a time of rapid transformation of publication methods, and the proliferation of software packages, this has been a good thing. All 51 surveys have learned a great deal from one another, and consequently all our map publications have improved. Indeed, over the last eight years, many of our technical specialists have met annually to discuss how to improve map standards, formats, and common science language at Digital Mapping Techniques conferences organized jointly by USGS and AASG. The time has come for our surveys to begin coalescing around a few formats, to promulgate common standards used by all, and to make all maps available digitally through a single distributed database (i.e., the National Geologic Map Database). The recent review of NCGMP by AAAS made these recommendations, and over the next 5 years we hope to implement them all. While we are pursuing these goals nationally, we must work more closely with the international community as well. NCGMP plans a follow-up independent external review of NCGMP in 2011 to determine our success in implementing the goals outlined in this plan.
During the past 5 years NCGMP made remarkable strides in defining the geologic frameworks for a number of major aquifers. This work was done iteratively with ground water modelers and published in formats using powerful visualization software. Each time significant improvements are made to the geologic framework or groundwater model, an updated version can be released on CD. We anticipate that this method of publication will become more commonly adopted by our scientists in the coming five years. It has also become apparent that the same method can be employed to better understand the neotectonics of a region, such as southern
Building upon the evaluation processes initiated during participation in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Program Assessment and Rating Tool (PART) process in 2005, the NCGMP will obtain regular, independent reviews of various aspects of the program. A 2007 review will focus on (1) how the program can increase integration and distribution of geologic information to facilitate analysis and decision-making and (2) the effectiveness of the National Geologic Mapping Database (NGMDB). It will be important to determine (1) the types of geologic map derivative products that land managers need and the best way to provide this information, and (2) the most effective way for the NGMDB to provide geologic information in a constantly expanding and interactive digital environment.
Priorities and metrics can only be met with the cooperation of NCGMP partners in the State geological surveys and universities. From 1993 to 2006, more than $60 million has been matched by the States to complete geologic maps, and over 600 students have been trained in geologic mapping.
Figure 1. –National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program 5-year plan and performance metrics.
II. Introduction
Although geologic maps form the primary foundation for virtually all applied and basic earth-science investigations, the process of constructing a geologic map is in itself scientific research on the earth’s history and the processes that operated to form our planet’s rocks and surficial materials. The definition of what constitutes a geologic map has changed over the years from a traditional paper product to multi-use digital geologic map databases. For the purposes of this document, a geologic map refers to the representation of the geology at the earth’s surface, as well as the subsurface projection of that geology, and includes any related databases.
In 1992, the 102nd Congress recognized that a coordinated program was needed to increase the production of geologic maps for the Nation by means of a system that sets priorities based on customer needs. In the late 1980s, less than 20 percent of the United States had detailed geologic map coverage at scales necessary for land-use and resource managers to make wise decisions (Geologic Mapping in the U.S. Geological Survey, 1987, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.), and very few of these geologic maps were in a digital format that now is the standard for geologic map production.
The National Geologic Mapping Act (Public Law 102-285), which was signed into law in 1992, created the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) to implement and coordinate an expanded geologic mapping effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the State geological surveys. The Act has been re-authorized twice, in 1997 and in 1999, and currently is in the process of its third reauthorization. A more extensive history of the program, including copies of the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-285), the Reauthorization Acts of 1997 (P.L. 105-36) and 1999 (P.L. 106-148), and reports of the program’s Federal Advisory Committee, is available on the NCGMP Web site at http://ncgmp.usgs.gov/.
The NCGMP has a mission to produce accurate geologic maps and three-dimensional geologic framework models that provide indispensable data for sustaining and improving the quality of life and economic vitality of the Nation through understanding earth surface processes and ground-water availability and quality, supporting DOI land management decisions, mitigating hazards, assisting in ecological and climatic monitoring and modeling, and understanding onshore-offshore sediment processes.
The program today represents successful cooperation among Federal, State, and university partners to deliver modern digital geologic maps to the communities and users that need them. Each of the three components of the program, as described below, has a unique role, yet all work cooperatively in the process of determining priorities for and producing new geologic maps. The program provides the regional-scale (generally 1:24,000 or smaller) geologic maps that private sector geotechnical consultants have come to depend on as a base for constructing their larger-scale, site-specific geologic maps. The data from these efforts across all of the
The goals of the NCGMP will continue to be consistent with those of the Geologic Discipline, USGS, Department of the Interior, and the President’s Business Reference Model (Figure 2).
The program is clearly successful because (1) recent geologic mapping has been an important part of scientific advancement in areas as diverse as earthquake mechanisms, ground-water flow modeling, mineral and petroleum exploration, and the mitigation of natural hazards, (2) the percentage of the Nation with geologic map coverage has risen dramatically, (3) the Federal, state, and university partnership mandated by the National Geologic Mapping Act has been the model for creating other government programs, (4) the geologic map standards promulgated by the program are being implemented by the Federal Geographic Data Committee for use by the entire geologic community, and (5) geologic map production, compilation, and training has been promoted in all 50 states and Puerto Rico during the past 13 years (Figure 3).
Figure 2. – Linkage of NCGMP goals to other Federal goals
Program Components
Federal Component – The Federal component of the program, FEDMAP, which officially began in 1993, creates regional geologic frameworks for areas that are vital to the economic, social, or scientific welfare of the Nation. The program annually supports approximately 25-30 multi-year USGS projects, which frequently include interdisciplinary studies that add value to the geologic mapping and allow the maps to be used by a wide variety of consumers. National priorities are set with the advice of both a Federal Advisory Committee and a FEDMAP Review Panel, which have Federal, State, private industry, and academic members, and through less formal meetings with customers, collaborators, and cooperators. Program funding also maintains the National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB), an effort mandated by the NGMA, which provides information to the public about all geologic maps produced in the United States, develops standards for use by all components of the program and the entire geologic mapping community, and promotes the use of sophisticated data models for the construction and dissemination of geologic maps.
State Component - STATEMAP creates geologic frameworks for areas that are vital to the economic, social, or scientific welfare of the individual States. State geological surveys first received STATEMAP funding in 1993. While maintaining consistency with NCGMP priorities, each State Geologist determines the State's mapping priorities in consultation with a State Mapping Advisory Committee. Highest priorities occur in regions of multiple issues, a compelling single issue, or where geologic maps are essential for solving critical Earth science problems. The Association of American State Geologists, an organization consisting of all 50 State Geologists, routinely provides the program with insightful guidance on critical issues that affect the States collectively. Each year, the NCGMP funds approximately 120 projects in 47 States. STATEMAP is a competitive grants program where Federal funding is matched one-to-one with State funds. Proposals are reviewed by national award panels made up of scientists from the USGS and selected representatives from the State geological surveys. Each STATEMAP project focuses on a specific area or issue. State geological survey employees conduct the geologic mapping and commonly work closely with EDMAP students and their professors, as well as with FEDMAP geologists.
Educational Component – EDMAP, which first received funding in 1996, provides university students with a carefully mentored education in the fundamental principles of geologic mapping and field studies. College or university geology professors, who are skilled in geologic mapping and willing to provide appropriate mentorship, request EDMAP funding to support their undergraduate and/or graduate students’ participation in geologic mapping projects. These projects focus on a specific geographic area, and although individual projects last for only one year, they may build upon the results of previous years' efforts. EDMAP geology professors and their students are required to have a partner geologist from a State geological survey or USGS project, which provides opportunities for shared information and resources.
The NCGMP allocates funds to colleges and universities in the
EDMAP is integrated with the geologic mapping priorities of the Federal and State components of the program. The success of this component is seen in the large number of EDMAP students who have pursued additional geoscience degrees and/or gone on to develop geoscience careers (see Objective 7 below). The program fills a unique role in its training of new geologic mappers because not even the National Science Foundation currently supports this effort. Geologic mapping knowledge is clearly in high demand based on the ease with which EDMAP students are able to find employment in the field of geoscience.
Figure 3. – Geologic mapping projects by component of NCGMP for FY 2006.
Uses of Geologic Maps
Decision makers at the national, State, and local levels are finding that they need increasing amounts of objective scientific information in order to make sound decisions regarding land use, water use, and resource use. A modern digital geologic map often is the best scientific product for providing some of this information because they are the single best source for understanding the history of the Earth. Geologic maps depict and interpret the bedrock and/or surficial geologic units that occur at and beneath the earth’s surface. They also present information about the complex depositional and tectonic histories that the rocks have undergone, and may provide information about geologic age, mineral resources, fossils, geochemistry, and a host of other basic earth science information. Although the original decision to map an area may have been based on a specific need/issue, because of the quality and type of the information found in geologic maps, these maps also are being used to address a multitude of other land-use issues for years after their original publication.
2007 1987
Figure 4 – Changes in justifications for geologic mapping of resources from 1987 to 2007 for FEDMAP and STATEMAP projects. 1987 information from NRC report; 2007 information compiled from NCGMP project descriptions.
Prior to the NGMA, the major justifications for geologic mapping in the
Figure 5. –. Justifications and purposes of geologic mapping for FY 2007 FEDMAP and STATEMAP projects. Information was compiled from NCGMP project descriptions.
With the advent of digital technology and the demand for map data in geographic information systems (GIS), the program, through its support of the National Geologic Map Database Project, is setting standards for digital geologic map production. These standards have been developed through collaboration with State agencies and other organizations and have been approved by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). The NCGMP will continue to be a leader in the digital field as new technologies are developed.
The Previous Plan
The previous NCGMP five-year plan was organized around the seven science goals of the Geologic Discipline. The Program successfully implemented and completed projects that contributed to the understanding of (1) geologic hazards for mitigation planning (Pacific Northwest), (2) short-term prediction of geologic disasters (California), (3) mineral and energy resources (Wyoming and Nevada), (4) impacts of climate , (5) ecosystem frameworks (Chesapeake Bay region), (6) links between human health and geologic processes (Arizona), and (7) geologic controls on ground-water resources (Texas).
III. Program 5-year goals
GOAL 1 - Produce high-quality, multi-purpose digital geologic maps and accompanying databases and reports to solve diverse land-use problems in high-priority areas. Develop three-dimensional geologic frameworks that extend into the subsurface for use in a variety of predictive models, such as ground-water flow, seismic shaking, landslide probabilities, landscape change, and ecosystem health.
Implementing this goal is the fundamental purpose of the program. Geologic maps provide the scientific underpinning of most geologic research, and routinely contain information about a region’s geologic history (depositional, structural, tectonic, metamorphic, and plutonic). These maps are used for a broad range of purposes and traditionally have had a useful “shelf life” of several decades. With the advent of digital technologies, this “shelf life” can be extended because digital modifications can easily be added, and these updated products are then delivered promptly via the Internet.
Most FEDMAP geologic mapping projects are conducted out of the three regional Earth Surface Processes Teams (Eastern, Central, Western), but the NCGMP also funds geologic mapping tasks in projects led by other programs, including Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Volcano Hazards, Mineral Resources, Energy Resources, Earth Surface Dynamics, and Coastal and Marine Geology. To accomplish inter-program and inter-disciplinary science objectives, NCGMP also supports a number of important laboratories in the Geologic Discipline, primarily geochronology and paleontology laboratories. Other programs and disciplines often reciprocate by funding tasks within geologic mapping projects.
Each year, FEDMAP, STATEMAP, and EDMAP projects work collaboratively with hundreds of cooperators and customers. These include other USGS Disciplines, Department of the Interior Bureaus, other Federal agencies (such as the U.S.
Objective 1 - Construct regional geologic frameworks and models in high-priority regions that are used to understand water availability and quality, mitigate geologic hazards, support DOI land management decisions, assist in ecological and climatic monitoring and modeling, and understand onshore-offshore sedimentary processes.
High-priority regions are selected and prioritized through use of the program’s Federal Advisory Committee and three review panels, and through coordination with other programs and disciplines within the USGS, the National Park Service (NPS), other Federal agencies, and the State Mapping Advisory Committees.
Cooperate with Federal Land Management Agencies
The USGS provides digital geologic maps primarily at scales of 1:24,000 to 1:100,000, with an occasional map at 1:1,000,000, to land management agencies in the Federal Government. The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service have benefited from and will continue to benefit from using NCGMP geologic maps and products. For example, NPS scientists use geologic maps when locating and documenting habitats for threatened or endangered plant and animal species and for identifying current and potential geologic hazards associated with watershed restoration, road relocations, ground-water developments, tunneling projects, landslide and potential flood assessments, and land management projects. Park managers use surficial geologic maps when making land-use decisions in park units that receive increasing demands from nearby large population centers. These maps assist in predicting what will be the future climax vegetation component of land areas, in selecting areas that require limited visitor access, determining anti-invasive species actions, and in implementing controlled burning.
More than 100 NPS units have benefited from NCGMP-funded products that include: (1) integrated tectonic and hydrogeologic data models for large areas, such as southern Death Valley, which are used to support management issues related to water quality and quantity, (2) studies of regional volcanism, faulting, and seismic hazard potential, (3) geochronologic studies of Tertiary and Quaternary deposits, (4) stratigraphic studies of surface outcrops and subsurface cores, (5) re-evaluation of previously mapped regional structure and stratigraphy, (6) development of geologic data for public dissemination, and (7) training for Park personnel so they can be more effective in communicating geological information to the general public. Similar efforts will continue over the next five years.
The USGS will maintain its outreach Web site for information on National Parks and continue to assist in NPS park staff training. For example, (1) USGS personnel have assisted in making a 3-D map of the San Andreas Fault trace for a park display and will continue such efforts as needed in the future; (2) geologic maps form the basis for delineating mineral resources, such as limestone resources in National Forests; (3) at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, geologic studies have provided understanding of the processes that are altering the landscape and the land’s sensitivity to these changes; and (4) USGS employees in Alaska monitor, inventory, and assess the history of climate change on glacier resources in eight National Park units.
Over the next five years, NCGMP Program Coordinators and NCGMP-funded geologists will continue to work with the NPS through joint meetings and scoping sessions to determine which NPS units are of highest priority and what are the most appropriate products that the USGS can provide to these units to solve their land-use issues. For example, in 2007, the program will participate in a scoping session in
Priorities for Federal Land Management Agencies
2007
· Explore opportunities with other Federal agencies and Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey for providing geologic maps to National Parks in
· Complete preliminary geologic mapping of
2008
· Deliver a geologic map of the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, for ecosystem analyses.
· Complete geologic maps for the
· Complete geologic map of
2009
· Complete surficial geologic mapping in the
· Provide web-based interpretive geologic guide to the NPS for the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
2010
· Deliver a karst map of the Nation to be used by the NPS and other Federal agencies to manage sensitive environments and serve as a portal to detailed information through the
· Complete a large-scale surficial geologic map of the
2011
· Complete surficial geologic map of Mono Basin Watershed,
Create Geologic Frameworks for Understanding Water Resources
NCGMP geologic frameworks help to define aquifer characteristics that are then used to produce accurate ground-water flow models. These models are essential for making quantitative regional hydrologic assessments of the Nation’s highest priority regional aquifer systems. More than 60 percent of FEDMAP geologic mapping projects, and STATEMAP projects in 43 states, provide geologic information for water resources issues. The program recently implemented a shared goal with the USGS Water Resources Discipline to improve understanding of the 65 principal aquifers in the U.S (figure 6).
Figure 6. - Principal Aquifers of the
A principal aquifer is a regionally extensive aquifer or aquifer system that has the potential to be used as a source of potable, agricultural, or industrial water. Because an aquifer is contained within a geologic formation or group of formations, it is critical to understand the characteristics of the rock or sediment container that holds and conveys the ground water. The Ground-Water Resources Program conducts regional ground-water evaluations to improve quantification of ground-water availability data for selected principal aquifers. In 2006, work on the
The FEDMAP Carolina Continental Margin Project and STATEMAP projects have contributed geologic framework information to
The Office of Ground Water staff, Regional Directors and their staffs, and geologists set the priorities for new aquifer studies based on the following criteria: (1) must be a large regional resource with significant hydrologic information available on the framework, (2) must have a ground-water model analysis available to build upon, and (3) must be experiencing environmental stress resulting from multiple water availability issues. NCGMP Program Coordinators actively participate in these planning efforts.
Future development of improved geologic frameworks will enhance regional ground-water assessments by expanding the ability to simulate more accurately the effects of (1) ground-water withdrawal on the quantity of the resource, (2) human-caused contamination of ground water, (3) movement of naturally occurring chemical species in ground water, (4) saltwater intrusion of freshwater systems, and (5) subsidence and fissuring due to ground-water withdrawal. Accurate 3-D geologic models are also needed to improve estimates of the volume of ground water in storage and the hydraulic properties of geologic units. Future management of ground-water resources will increasingly depend on computer simulations of alternative management scenarios, and these will require increasingly sophisticated 3-D geologic maps. The new generation of 3-D geologic framework models that specifically target aquifer systems will be based on (1) cutting-edge geologic maps augmented with field data specifically related to hydrogeologic properties, (2) subsurface mapping techniques based on sophisticated down-hole logs similar to those used in the hydrocarbon industries, (3) shallow, high-resolution geophysical surveying and mapping, and (4) quantitative empirical models relating sedimentary environments to the properties of aquifers and confining units.
Priority Activities for Water Resources
2007
· Complete a geologic framework and EarthVision model of Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater, Virginia, for understanding water quality and salt-water intrusion in Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifers.
· Complete a geologic framework of
· Explore future efforts for producing geologic maps along the U.S.-Mexico border to understand aquifer characteristics and interaction.
· Develop a new regional Coastal Plain project in cooperation with State agencies that will develop a stratigraphic framework for use in ground-water models.
2008