USGS Publications over 125 Years

By John Keith

Highlights of USGS Science Publications over 125 Years

More than a hundred thousand books, journal articles, popular publications, geologic, hydrologic, and topographic maps, databases, and other scientific products have been published by USGS scientists during the last 125 years. The positive impact of these achievements on economic development and reduced losses from natural hazards in the United States has been estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars. Given the magnitude and scope of these USGS contributions to the national welfare, it is obviously difficult to summarize them in a short article, but a few highlights will give readers a taste of this scientific feast.

In funding for the early USGS, Congress placed primary priority on mineral resource exploration. The initial program efforts were focused on mining districts, and Bulletin 176 on principles of rock analysis by W.F. Hillebrand in 1900 was a significant contribution to the development of research techniques. The USGS went on to become a leader in techniques and models in geochemistry, geophysics, and economic geology. In 2001, Douglas Stoeser and William Heran compiled in CD format 29 previously published reports on mineral deposit and geoenvironmental models. This synoptic compilation includes Professional Paper 820, "United States Mineral Resources," published in 1973, by Donald Brobst and Walden Pratt; and Bulletin 1693, "Mineral Deposit Models," from 1986, by Dennis Cox and Don Singer. In 1996, the minerals information function of the Bureau of Mines was transferred to the USGS when that agency was closed. Currently, the minerals program staff provides data collection, analysis, and publications that describe production and consumption of about 100 mineral commodities, both domestic and international, for about 180 countries. The principal volume summarizing this work is the Minerals Yearbook, a comprehensive annual update for commodities that began 124 years ago. The principal focus of today's minerals program is on research related to human health and sustainability of minerals to support the Nation.

Topographic mapping was another of the early priorities established by Congress. During 125 years, an extensive effort in mapping resulted in over 57 thousand topographic maps at detailed scales for complete coverage of the U.S and many of its Trust territories. These maps were prepared to the very highest quality standards, and they became a model for mapping programs in many other parts of the world. The program has evolved into what is now known as The National Map, a unified, digital framework of geographic data and knowledge. It provides public access to high-quality, consistent, geospatial data and information assembled from a consortium of Federal, State, and local partners. An excellent history of traditional topographic mapping, Maps for America, by Morris Thompson, was published in 1988.

Providing reliable information on the Nation's water resources has been a crucial role of the USGS from its beginnings. Working with customers and cooperators in the various States, Survey water specialists have developed a data collecting and analysis system that supplies our citizens with up-to-date information for both water quantity and quality in their respective regions. A benchmark water publication was O.E. Meinzer's Occurrence of Ground Water in the U.S., published in 1923. The development of quantitative methods for analysis of ground-water systems is a major accomplishment in recent years. Publication of extensive research on well hydraulics, computer modeling of ground-water flow, and geochemical reactions in ground water established standards that are now used world-wide. Though traditional paper publications are still important today, water data customers make enormous use of our web-based information. A popular example is the database for nation-wide streamflow that is updated daily, or more often for certain sites, from over 7000 streamflow gages.

In 1996, the former National Biological Service was combined with the USGS. One of the outstanding publications from Biological Resources is Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources, an encyclopedic account of that subject published in two volumes in 1998. This work provided the first large-scale assessment of the Nation's plants, animals, and ecosystems.

In the last half-century, there has been substantially increased research by the USGS on geologic and hydrologic hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and floods. Two publications stand out as examples of our comprehensive hazard studies: Prof. Paper 541, "the 1964 Alaska Earthquake," edited by Wallace Hansen; and Prof. Paper 1250, "the 1980 Eruptions of Mount St. Helens," edited by Peter Lipman and Donal Mullineaux. Both books exemplify the very high standards achieved by USGS professional publications.

The study of our energy resources has occupied a large portion of USGS research activity, especially since 1940. With expanding population and industry, the location and extraction of energy resources became increasingly important. Survey geologists studied and mapped coal, oil and gas, uranium, oil shale, tar sands, and geothermal sites in response to national energy needs. There were several national oil and gas assessments over the years, but the 1995 assessment was notable for its comprehensive information and for being the first assessment published on CD-ROM. Because of the significance of energy supplies in the U.S. economy, our staff has extended their investigations in recent years to include an evaluation of world oil and gas resources. The first complete assessment of national coal resources, Bulletin 1509, was published by Paul Averitt in 1975 and served as the primary source of coal resource data for nearly three decades. This assessment has been succeeded by a major new series of coal publications and data bases over the last three years. These energy studies also led to an extensive program in marine geology and coastal hazards evaluation. In 1990, Circular 1075, Coasts in Crisis, by Jeff Williams, Kurt Dodd, and Kathleen Gohn, established a new standard for special publications on public issues in earth science.

Geologic mapping was one of the earliest fundamental investigations of the USGS. The value of geologic maps was recognized as a key component for economic development and hazard assessments. In cooperation with the State geological surveys, USGS geologists have produced several thousand maps for all parts of the country. A particularly notable example is the detailed mapping of the state of Kentucky in the 1960s-70s. This program resulted in published maps for all 707 quadrangles in the state, and the estimated value of the maps for agricultural, industrial, energy, and recreational development is between $2 billion and $3.5 billion. Extensive research in paleontology accompanied the geologic mapping activity over the 125 years, and this research led to a large array of paleontologic publications. The works of William Cobban on Cretaceous stratigraphy, Frank Whitmore on fossil whales, and Anita Harris on conodonts are outstanding examples of this type of research.

For about 45 years, The Survey has produced an extensive series of educational and popular publications to assist earth science teachers and students in learning about the Earth. One leaflet in the series, Collecting Rocks, by Rachel Barker, has had over a million copies distributed. The Survey's popular book on plate tectonics, This Dynamic Earth, by Jackie Kious and Bob Tilling, has set records for hits on its web-based version: in 2003, there were about 2,696,000 inquiries to this site. An educational map, This Dynamic Planet, has sold more than 80,000 copies, and is the most requested map in the history of the Survey.

One last personal favorite: in 1882, the Survey published Clarence Dutton's Tertiary History of the Grand Canon District as Monograph No.2. This book with its folio-size atlas contains extensive color illustrations by Arthur Holmes and is truly a work of scientific and lithographic art. Original copies are now highly valued in the antique book market.

In conclusion, the major change in USGS publishing that has occurred in the last decade is the move toward complete electronic publication of its products. However, the essential mission of the bureau remains the same: to provide accurate, unbiased, impartial, and peer-reviewed science in the service of the Nation.