TRADITION AND INNOVATION AT THE KENTUCKY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

In addition to traditional GSO activities such as geologic mapping, energy assessment, hazard characterization, and water studies, the Kentucky Geological Survey has a robust tradition of innovative and responsive projects and products. The KGS is a state-mandated research center at the University of Kentucky, with a varied administrative history extending back to 1837. A cooperative USGS-KGS program from 1960 to 1978 produced complete published detailed geologic mapping for the Commonwealth. This program provided foundational data to support advances in Kentucky framework geology, paleontology, resource exploration, environmental management, seismic monitoring, and hazard assessment. KGS has a national reputation for data and web services. Current KGS technology continues to build on this legacy, with innovative utilizations of lidar in flood and landslide studies, UAV-based mapping applications with thermal and lidar and gamma-spectrometry capabilities, three-dimensional geoframework modeling, and machine-learning projects in karst, landslides, and mapping. KGS is providing timely and societally relevant research in critical minerals, carbon management, methane emissions from orphaned oil and gas wells, geologic context of radon, crop-field nutrient runoff, and considerations of hazard assessment in a changing climate system. KGS is engaged with projects to better communicate our science and to address geoscience workforce development and JEDI issues. The KGS EARL solid-sample repository is available both online and in-person to researchers worldwide with an interest in Kentucky geology.