United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey ( USGS short ) is a scientific institution under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior of the United States. The USGS is the most important institution of the United States for the official cartography.

Agendas

The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States and other nations, their resources and the natural disasters that threaten it.

The four main areas of activity are:

  • Water
  • Geology
  • Geography
  • Biology

Since its inception on March 3, 1879, USGS is an independent research organization with no regulatory responsibilities. From 1962 to the USGS involved in both the research and the production of maps of the earth, the moon and the planets.

The USGS is the only scientific authority of the U.S. Department of the Interior and employs 8,670 staff ( 2009). The headquarters are located in Reston (Virginia), other important offices exist in Denver, Colorado, and Menlo Park, California.

The USGS is like the NOAA member of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.

The motto of the USGS is " science for a changing world. " (Eng., science for a changing world '). One of the longest running projects of the U.S. Geological Survey will include studies on the San Andreas Fault. In particular, measurements in California town of Parkfield, which was the epicenter of the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, may help to improve the prediction of earthquakes.

In summer 2006, the organization involved, together with the Indian Directorate General of Hydrocarbons ( DGH ) in the exploration of gas hydrates in the Indian Ocean.

In addition, the USGS National Wildlife Health Center ( NWHC ), a research organization, which deals with the study of disease in wildlife operates.

Publications

The USGS publishes the official map of the USA, and is known for using the scale 1: 24,000. This map series is called in English 7.5 - minute topographic quadrangle series.

He also leads the on-line database Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS ), the publicly available electronic gazetteer.

List of Directors

Others

The budget for the fiscal year 2013 is 1.103 billion U.S. dollars of which, inter alia, 153.7 million U.S. dollars for the area of ​​climate change, 144.8 million U.S. dollars for the area geohazards, 44 million U.S. dollars for the energy transition and 209.8 million U.S. dollars for the exploration of Wasserressorcen.

In Reston is the Museum of the USGS, will be issued in the next several portraits of directors and historic equipment, a SUV in the U.S. geologists, Ford Model A from the 1930s.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Parkfield, California Clathrate hydrate Clarence King John Wesley Powell Henry William Menard
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