USGS awards $1.7 million to 26 states to preserve geological data

On Monday 09 November 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey announced $1,685,806 in matching grants to 26 state geological surveys. The funding will support inventorying, cataloging and preserving historic geoscientific data and physical samples for energy, groundwater, mineral resources and geologic hazards.

According to the report, the grants will also help states modernize storage and digital access. Work includes digitizing well logs, converting data to industry standard formats, building searchable databases and improving web access for scientists, policymakers and the public. Preserved data and samples can support mineral potential identification, groundwater availability assessments, and infrastructure and hazard planning.

Every federal dollar awarded is matched by state funding, according to the USGS. The program supports preservation of geological data and physical samples for work on critical minerals, groundwater resources and geologic hazards. Under the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, it also facilitates submission of up to 300 samples per State for geochemical analysis of existing materials with critical mineral potential.

USGS Director Ned Mamula said geologic data include maps and reports held in government and corporate filing cabinets, desk drawers and storage annexes across the Nation. He said much of the information was produced by hand over the past two centuries of American geologic exploration. The awards will make existing geologic data available for work on the Nation's resources.

USGS Associate Director for Geology, Energy and Minerals Sarah Ryker said the grants help state partners preserve, catalog and provide digital access to data already collected. She said the value of that data rises as demand grows for domestic sources of critical minerals. In August, the National Petroleum Council highlighted the value of the USGS National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, which administers the grants.

Specific projects include relocating and cataloging roughly 4,300 fossil specimens and 1,000 rock thin sections in Alabama. Arkansas will inventory 120,000 historical water well construction reports and submit up to 300 samples. California will create a barcoded inventory and searchable database for 2,515 boxes from 1,738 wells. Missouri will photograph 1,250 boxes of core, while Mississippi will preserve core and samples from 4 boreholes showing elevated lithium concentrations.