What does the USGS do and what is their goal?
The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.
Is USGS a federal agency?
As an agency of the United States federal government, the USGS must follow Federal Acquisition Regulations when purchasing or leasing any type of equipment or contracting for services.
Is USGS A good source?
USGS serves the country by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth. USGS's scientific work helps minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters, and aids in the measuring and research of water, biological, energy and mineral resources.
Who controls the USGS?
the United States Department of the Interior The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. Reston, Virginia, U.S. The USGS is a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior; it is that department's sole scientific agency. The USGS employs approximately 8,670 people and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
Do USGS maps only apply to the United States?
USGS-authored or produced data and information are considered to be in the U.S. public domain and can be freely used without permission. All we ask is that you acknowledge the USGS as the source.
How is USGS funded?
Congress appropriates funds for the agency through the annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations acts. Through P.L. 116-260, Congress appropriated $1.316 billion to the USGS for FY2021 under Division G, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021.
How accurate is USGS?
The production of these images is well controlled; they have an accuracy of 6 meters (~20 feet) or better. The match between US Topo vector layers and the orthoimage layer is generally very good, evidence that the maps meet traditional accuracy standards for most feature classes in most areas.
Are USGS maps free?
Both US Topo and HTMC maps can be downloaded free of charge through several USGS interfaces. In addition to topographic quadrangles, the USGS publishes many other kinds of geospatial data and imagery.
When was the Cascade Volcano Observatory established?
1980 It was established in the summer of 1980, after the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The observatory is named for United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist David A….Cascades Volcano Observatory.
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, Washington, USA |
| Website | https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo/ |
What is the most accurate elevation map?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States since 1879. USGS topographic maps have been published at many scales, but 1:24,000 (also referred to as a 7.5-minute quadrangle) has been the standard topographic map scale since 1947.
How do you know if a map is accurate?
The accuracy of any map may be tested by comparing the positions of points whose locations or elevations are shown upon it with corresponding positions as determined by surveys of a higher accuracy.
Why is it called a 7.5-minute map?
For example, a 7.5-minute map shows an area that spans 7.5 minutes of latitude and 7.5 minutes of longitude, and it is usually named after the most prominent feature in the quadrangle.
How do you use USGS?
3:448:35Lesson 1 – Introduction to Using The National Map Products and ServicesYouTube
Which Cascade volcano will erupt next?
Given its restless nature, geologists say Mount St. Helens is the odds-on favorite to erupt next. But six other Cascade volcanoes have been active in the past 300 years, including steam eruptions at Glacier Peak and Mount Rainier and a 1915 blast at Mount Lassen, in California, that destroyed nearby ranches.
How many active volcanoes are in Oregon?
According to the United States Geological Survey, Oregon has 5 active volcano systems. These volcanoes have had activity in recent times. These volcanoes include: Mount Hood.
Which world map is most accurate?
The AuthaGraph View the world in correct proportions with this map.
What is gn on a topo map?
Grid north (GN) is the direction of a plane grid system, usually the grid associated with the map projection.
Why do contour lines never cross?
Contour lines never cross. * This is because one location on the surface of Earth cannot be at two different elevations!
How do I get USGS data?
If you are looking for a particular data set and cannot find it through Internet searches or our Science Data Catalog, please call USGS Science Information Services toll-free at 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) or use this website to send us a message or to initiate a live Web chat with a Science Information Specialist.
How do you read USGS maps?
1:133:48How to Read a Topo Map – YouTubeYouTube
Is Mt St Helens getting ready to erupt again?
We know that Mount St. Helens is the volcano in the Cascades most likely to erupt again in our lifetimes. It is likely that the types, frequencies, and magnitudes of past activity will be repeated in the future.
What would happen if Mount St. Helens erupted again?
If the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone National Park ever had another massive eruption, it could spew ash for thousands of miles across the United States, damaging buildings, smothering crops, and shutting down power plants.
Is Crater Lake a volcano?
Introduction. Crater lakes are volcanic lakes found in craters and calderas. Crater lakes usually form through the accumulation of rain, snow and ice melt, and groundwater in volcanic craters.
Is Crater Lake an active volcano?
The volcano's compound edifice has been active relatively continuously since 420,000 years ago, and it is built mostly of andesite to dacite until it began erupting rhyodacite about 30,000 years ago, ramping up to the caldera-forming eruption.
Why is Africa so small on the map?
The world map you are probably familiar with is called the Mercator projection (below), which was developed all the way back in 1569 and greatly distorts the relative areas of land masses. It makes Africa look tiny, and Greenland and Russia appear huge.
Why does Greenland look so big on maps?
Mercator maps distort the shape and relative size of continents, particularly near the poles. This is why Greenland appears to be similar in size to all of South America on Mercator maps, when in fact South America is more than eight times larger than Greenland.
Why is it called a 7.5 minute map?
For example, a 7.5-minute map shows an area that spans 7.5 minutes of latitude and 7.5 minutes of longitude, and it is usually named after the most prominent feature in the quadrangle.
Are maps true north or magnetic north?
The Geographic North Pole is static and is located about 1200 miles north of the Magnetic Pole. Maps and directions are usually oriented toward the Geographic Pole, also referred to as "True North." Magnetic declination is the direction and amount of variation between the Magnetic Pole and True North.
What are the 5 Rules of contour lines?
Rule 1 – every point of a contour line has the same elevation. Rule 2 – contour lines separate uphill from downhill. Rule 3 – contour lines do not touch or cross each other except at a cliff. Rule 4 – every 5th contour line is darker in color.
What do the colors blue and green indicate on a topographic map?
The color brown is used to denote most contour lines on a map, which are relief features and elevations. Topographic maps use green to denote vegetation such as woods, while blue is used to denote water features like lakes, swamps, rivers, and drainage.