Project abstract summaryproject title: FY2023 nebraska statemap proposalproject period: 09 15 2023 - 09 14 2025THIS project is designed to generate surficial geologic maps for three 7.5-minute…

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) awarded a $415,020 Cooperative Agreement under the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (CFDA 15.810) to the University of Nebraska to generate surficial geologic maps for three 7.5-minute quadrangles in Nebraska and update six previously published maps to the current Geologic Mapping Enhancement and Modernization Standards (GEMS). The project period runs from September 15, 2023 to September 14, 2025.

The deliverables will include surficial geologic maps, geologic cross-sections, and laboratory analyses of sediment cores collected through drilling operations to characterize the recent geological materials beneath the ground surface in the mapping areas. The maps and supporting data will improve understanding of the geological and hydrogeological resources, including the quantity and quality of construction aggregate and groundwater availability, which are important considerations in each of the mapping areas. The GEMS-compliant maps will modernize the existing mapping for these quadrangles.

Project abstract summaryproject title: FY2023 nebraska statemap proposalproject period: 09 15 2023 - 09 14 2025THIS project is designed to generate surficial geologic maps for three 7.5-minute quadrangles innebraska and to generate gems compliant maps for six surficial geologic maps that had beenpublished by the NGS prior to the gems program. The deliverables will include surficialgeologic maps for the clatonia, brule and pickrell 7.5-minute quadrangle maps. The projectincludes drilling operations to support the mapping efforts and to allow US to characterize recentgeological materials found at and directly beneath the ground surface in each of the mappingareas. In addition, sediments retrieved from the coring efforts will be described and some will beanalyzed in the laboratory including particle size analysis and age dating. These efforts will beconducted on selected samples to enable US to correlate geologic units within the mapping area. In some cases downhole geophysical instruments will be used to characterize the sediments inthe test holes. The core descriptions, laboratory analyses and any downhole geophysical resultswill be included in the final surficial geologic map. Interpretive geologic cross-sectionsportraying the geological materials in the subsurface will be generated for selected quadranglesin this project. The final maps will be available to the public as downloadable files at thenebraska conservation and survey division as well as the national geologic mappingdatabase. These maps will be beneficial to end users interested in better understanding themapping areas geological and hydrogeological resources, including the quantity and quality ofconstruction aggregate and other mineral resources as well as groundwater availability which is avery important resource in each of the mapping areas. The generation of the gems compliantmaps will be update these quads to the most recent mapping standards and allow US to develop aprotocol to update the older map files to gems standards.