The Louisiana Geological Survey is a state geological survey established by the

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...

legislature by Act 131 in 1934 to serve the citizens Louisiana by collecting, preserving, and disseminating impartial information on the

geomorphology Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or ...

, hydrogeology,

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...

economic geology Economic geology is concerned with earth materials that can be used for economic and/or industrial purposes. These materials include precious and base metals, nonmetallic minerals and construction-grade stone. Economic geology is a subdisciplin ...

, and geological resources of Louisiana. The Louisiana Geological Survey was originally part of the Louisiana Department of Conservation. Later it was a division of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and finally transferred by the Louisiana legislature's HB 2353 to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

. At Louisiana State University, it is part of the Office of Research and Economic Development.Anonymous (2008a
''General Information''
, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Activities

Over the years, the Louisiana Geological Survey has been involved in a wide range research concerning economic, groundwater, and environmental geology of Louisiana. For example, the Louisiana Geological Survey has conducted detailed investigations of the 1. geopressured- geothermal resources of the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

; 2. oils and gas resources, including the Tuscaloosa Marine shale, 3.

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

deposits of Louisiana, 4, geology of individual parishes; 5. coastal

subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope move ...

and

sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryo ...

; 6. geology of the

Fort Polk Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the firs ...

region; 7. surface

faulting In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectoni ...

; 8.

coalbed methane Coalbed methane (CBM or coal-bed methane), coalbed gas, coal seam gas (CSG), or coal-mine methane (CMM) is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. In recent decades it has become an important source of energy in United States, Canada, Au ...

; and 9. nearshore sand deposits that can be used in coastal restoration projects.Anonymous (ndb
''Publication Catalog''
, Louisiana Geological Survey , Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In case of the Tuscaloosa Marine

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especially ...

, seven billion

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

s of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

reserves were identified.Durham, L. S. (2011a
''Similar in age and lithology to Eagle Ford Tuscaloosa Another Shale Playground.''
AAPG Explorer, August 2011.Chacko J. J., B. L. Jones, J. E. Moncrief, R. Bourgeois, and B. J. Harder (1997
''An Unproven Unconventional Seven Billion Barrel Oil Resource - the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale.''
LSU Basin Research Institute Bulletin. vol. 7, pp. 1-22. In addition, the Louisiana Geological Survey has conducted detailed investigations into mapping the extent of and modeling

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does inclu ...

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

s. Some of this research included studies into the health effects of groundwater contamination from

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low hea ...

beds penetrated by individual water wells and the impacts of

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the no ...

s on coastal groundwater resources. This research has been accomplished with millions of dollars of external matching funds obtained from federal, state, and private sources.Durham, L. S. (2011b
''Drastic budget cuts spell doom. What? No Geological Survey in Louisiana?''
AAPG Explorer, August 2011.Petzet, A. (2011

Oil and Gas Journal.'' vol. 109, no. 22, (May 2011). In addition, the Louisiana Geological Survey participates in the federally funded State Geologic Survey Mapping (STATEMAP) program for the creation of 1:24000 and 1:1000,000 scale geological maps.Anonymous (2008b
''Louisiana Geological Survey to Continue Surface Geologic Mapping of State.''
, Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Anonymous (2010
''National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (Louisiana).''

United States Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado. As of December 2012, the Louisiana Geological Survey has produced 33 published and 3 unpublished 1:24000 scale geological maps; 18 published 1:1000,000 scale geological maps, and 7 either open file or unpublished 1:1000,000 scale geological maps. Some of these geological maps can be either downloaded from their web siteAnonymous (nda
''Maps''
, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. or purchased as hard copies. During STATEMAP sponsored geological mapping in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, the Louisiana Geological Survey discovered a meteorite impact crater, the Brushy Creek Impact Crater.Anonymous (2008c
LGS Researcher Featured in Meteor Crater News Story.
Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Retrieved 2011-27-03. Also, the faculty and staff of the Louisiana Geological Survey have been repeatedly involved in preparing for and responding to natural disasters and other emergencies. These natural disasters include hurricanes

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike. For example, Louisiana Geological Survey in cooperation with the USGS National Wetlands Research Center,

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state wildlife and fishery areas. The agency is headquartered in the capital city of Baton Rouge. Mission The Louisiana Department of Wildlife a ...

, and the

Louisiana State Police The Louisiana State Police (French: Police d’Etat de Louisiane) is the state police agency of Louisiana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, headquartered in Baton Rouge. It falls under the authority of the Louisiana Department of Pub ...

provided critical cartographic and GIS assistance to emergency responders in locating victims during and after Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. Also, on September 24, 2005, as Rita hit the southwest coast of Louisiana, the Louisiana Geological Survey assisted the United States Geological Survey in the creation of mapping for

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

, and surrounding communities. It was responsible for the production of the maps.Anonymous (2005
''USGS National Wetlands Research Center Provides Geospatial Technology to Assist in the Hurricane Katrina Search and Recovery Efforts.''
United States Geological Survey, Lafayette, Louisiana.Conzelmann, C.P., W. Sleavin, and B. Couvillion (2005
''Using Geospatial Technology To Process 911 Calls After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. National Wetlands Research Center.''
Circular no. 1306-3B, United States Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. The Louisiana Geological Survey also educates individual citizens of Louisiana about the geology, paleontology, and resources of their state. Each month, it answers a variety of inquiries from students, teachers, professors, consultants, out of state companies, archaeologists, geologists, and other people who have questions about the geology, environment, and resources of Louisiana. Frequently, people bring in rocks, some of which are suspected to be meteorites, for examination and identification. Survey personal often go to public events, i.e. "Rockin' at the Swamp" (Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center) to share their expertise with and answer questions from the general public.Anonymous (2010) ''Educational Outreach Activities.'' Louisiana Geological Survey NewsInsights. vol. 20, no. 1, p. 8.

References

External links

* {{LSU Louisiana State University Geological surveys History of Baton Rouge, Louisiana