В США опубликована новая детализированная карта геологического строения Небраски

USGS, UNL release new map detailing Nebraska’s geological makeup OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A new Nebraska map has been added to the national record. This week, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln issued a new Nebraska map depicting the state’s land surface, providing an official reference documenting the geological makeup of the state: rock and sediment types, ages, structures, and the arrangement of formations at the surface. “More than three-quarters of Nebraska is covered by sediment, most of it wind-blown sand and silt,” according to the USGS news release. “These materials carry water into aquifers, supply nutrients for crops, support wildlife habitat along the Central Flyway for migratory birds, and contain sand, gravel and other materials used in construction and infrastructure.” The last time such information was published in a map was 1986, showing bedrock structure underlying the surface, shedding light on longer-term geologic history instead of more recent sediments — all at a scale of 1:24,000. The new map provides much more topographic detail as it draws geological and soil information provided by the USGS 3D Elevation Program. It was built with datasets including LiDAR, and other maps that scale up to 1:1,000,000. “Nebraska’s surficial geological materials are truly outstanding, and include those of the Nebraska Sand Hills, the largest area of dunes in the Western Hemisphere, and thick sequences of loess and sediments from several large river systems, including the Missouri and the Platte,” said Paul Hanson, a geologist and director of the Geologic Mapping Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Conservation and Survey Division. The project also helped establish a partnership between UNL and USGS. “This mapping effort began with a simple need to fill a gap in geologic maps, and ended in a promising partnership between the USGS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” said Christopher Swezey, program coordinator of the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. “One great consequence of this effort is that it has shown how bringing together the right people can be effective in producing a quality product quickly.” Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.