HOW THE USGS IS CONNECTING GEOLOGIC MAPPING AND SOCIETAL VALUES TO REACH A BROAD AUDIENCE THROUGH GEOHERITAGE

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is preparing a geoheritage site inventory to showcase the geologic diversity and natural heritage of the United States (U.S.) and its territories. This geoheritage geospatial product (GGP) will characterize in situ geologic features on Federal public lands that have enriched our society by meeting one or more of the key geoheritage criteria:

• scientific significance of the geologic phenomena,
• formal and informal educational opportunities,
• cultural connections to the landscape,
• historic and present-day economic opportunities, and
• aesthetic allure.

The GGP can be easily queried allowing for discovery of geoheritage information with the goal of fostering a deeper understanding of geology’s role in society. It will also broaden the relevance of USGS geologic mapping as this online publication will accompany other geologic mapping products from the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. Users can also easily discover spatially related geologic publications through direct links to the National Geologic Map Database. The GGP will serve as an educational and outreach tool to 1) raise awareness of significant geologic sites, 2) communicate the role of geology in our natural heritage, and 3) increase accessibility and relevance of geologic mapping and geoscience topics more broadly to the public.

Each geoheritage site is rich with geologic history and has a unique story to tell. Care was taken to provide brief site descriptions using non-technical language that will enable geologic concepts to be easily understood by the public. However, it was essential to organize the information in a standardized way using terminology that will be mostly understood by a broad audience. Therefore, the general themes of each geoheritage value were distilled into controlled vocabularies derived from USGS and U.S. National Park Service geologic glossaries, the American Geosciences Institute Glossary of Geology, Next Generation Science Standards Crosscutting Concepts, and terms employed by U.S. and international researchers of geodiversity, geoconservation, and geoheritage. Also included are associated Federal land designations, land managing agencies, basic lithologic terms, and geologic age(s) for each site. By connecting scientific and societal values, the GGP can expand the reach and relevance of USGS geologic publications.