Geological Survey of Alabama
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 2, 1848 |
| Type | State geological survey |
| Jurisdiction | Alabama |
| Headquarters | Walter B. Jones Hall, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa 33°12′43″N 87°32′36″W / 33.21197°N 87.54327°WCoordinates: 33°12′43″N 87°32′36″W / 33.21197°N 87.54327°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| Website | gsa |
The Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) is the Alabama state agency responsible for examining, cataloging, mapping, and reporting on the state's mineral, energy, water, coastal, and biological resources. It is headed by the State Geologist and headquartered in Walter B. Jones Hall on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
The agency was established on January 2, 1848, when Michael Tuomey began work as the first State Geologist, making it one of the earliest state geological surveys in the United States. State law assigns the survey and State Geologist duties related to natural-resource studies, reports to the legislature, scientific collections, and publications. The agency carries out its work through four programs covering geologic investigations, groundwater assessment, energy resources, and ecosystems research.
History
The GSA has been closely associated with the University of Alabama since its founding. In late 1847, the Alabama Legislature created the position of State Geologist to document the state's natural resources.[1] Michael Tuomey, a mineralogy professor at the university, began work on January 2, 1848, officially establishing the GSA.[1][2] Tuomey's surveys helped define Alabama coal and iron ore deposits and supported early understanding of the state's mineral resources.[2] Tuomey served as both State Geologist and professor until his death in 1857.[3] The survey's activities were interrupted by the American Civil War, during which much of Tuomey's original specimen collection was destroyed when the university campus was burned in 1865.[3]
Eugene Allen Smith was appointed State Geologist in 1873, reviving the agency after the Civil War. He traveled through Alabama to identify resources for industry, and his reports were used by investors and industrialists in the development of coal, iron, cement, fertilizer, and other mineral-related industries.[4] Smith established the GSA library, organized the Alabama Museum of Natural History, and produced regional mapping. His work laid the foundation for later statewide geologic mapping efforts, including printed and digital geologic maps of Alabama the GSA later produced in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).[5] Shortly before his death, Smith secured a $50,000 annual appropriation from the Alabama Legislature for the survey.[4]
Walter B. Jones succeeded Smith in 1927, expanding the agency's scope to include archaeology and contributing to the establishment of what is now Moundville Archaeological Park.[1] Philip LaMoreaux, appointed in 1961, oversaw the separation of the Alabama Museum of Natural History from the GSA, the completion of a statewide topographic map series, and the publication of a revised state geologic map.[1]
Berry H. "Nick" Tew Jr. was appointed State Geologist in 2002.[1] The Alabama Government Manual describes the survey and State Geologist as having been created in 1848 under Alabama Code title 9, chapter 4. It states that the State Geologist administers the survey's natural-resource studies, reports to the legislature on the progress of explorations and examinations, oversees scientific collections, and prepares monographs, special reports, and bulletins. The State Geologist also serves as State Oil and Gas Supervisor and ex officio secretary of the Alabama State Oil and Gas Board.[6]
Walter B. Jones Hall on the University of Alabama campus houses the main GSA office, publications office, library, and most scientific and support staff.[1] The agency provides public access to GIS data, interactive mapping portals, publications, and a core warehouse containing drilled-rock samples from across the state.[1]
Programs
The GSA is organized into four programs:[1]
- Geologic Investigations Program: Produces 1:24,000-scale geologic maps, monitors natural hazards including earthquakes and sinkholes, documents nonfuel mineral resource production, and maintains a paleontological collection.
- Groundwater Assessment Program: Conducts hydrogeologic and geochemical assessments across the state's aquifers. The program participates in the National Ground Water Monitoring Network (NGWMN), contributing data through a real-time observation well network.[7] It also includes a Coastal Resources Section focused on shoreline morphology and environmental quality in coastal counties.
- Energy Investigations Program: Evaluates conventional oil and gas, coalbed methane, and shale gas resources. The program conducts carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) research through the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB), focusing on geologic formations including the Black Warrior Basin and the Citronelle Oil Field.[8]
- Ecosystems Investigations Program: Monitors biological assemblages and water quality within Alabama's watersheds, including endangered species assessments, fish movement studies in large river systems, and biological monitoring in sensitive environments such as cave and karst systems in northern Alabama.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Ebersole, Sandy (September 14, 2017). "Geological Survey of Alabama". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Council. Archived from the original on April 20, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kidd, Jessica Fordham (February 10, 2009). "Michael Tuomey". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Alliance. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wilson, Betty M. (1985). "The Geological Survey of Alabama and the University of Alabama: A Coordinate History". Earth Sciences History. 4 (1): 59–62. doi:10.17704/eshi.4.1.e5284g52q7545r12. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Henderson, Aileen Kilgore (April 25, 2011). "Eugene Allen Smith". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Alliance. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
- ↑ Tew, Berry H.; Taylor, Douglas R.; Osborne, W. Edward (1998). Production of the 1:250,000-Scale Digital Geologic Map of Alabama (Report). Open-File Report 98-487. U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on April 25, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Alabama Government Manual (PDF) (Report) (15th ed.). Alabama Law Institute. November 2022. pp. 145–148. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Geological Survey of Alabama (GSAL)". National Ground Water Monitoring Network. Archived from the original on April 11, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage (CCUS) Research". Geological Survey of Alabama. Archived from the original on April 26, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ McGregor, Stuart W.; O'Neil, Patrick E.; Gillett, Blakeney (2005). Water Quality and Biological Monitoring in Bobcat and Matthews Caves, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, 1990–2005 (PDF) (Report). Open-File Report 0528. Geological Survey of Alabama. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 10, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
Further reading
- Dean, Lewis S. "Michael Tuomey and the Pursuit of a Geological Survey of Alabama, 1847–1857." Alabama Review 44 (April 1991): 101–111.
- Henderson, Aileen Kilgore (2011). Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: How a Geologist Shaped a State. Montgomery, Alabama: NewSouth Books. ISBN 978-1-58838-243-6. Retrieved May 23, 2026. Search this book on
- Jones, Walter B., and Roland M. Harper. History and Work of Geological Surveys and Industrial Development in Alabama. Wetumpka, Alabama: Wetumpka Printing Company, 1935.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geological Survey of Alabama. |
This article "Geological Survey of Alabama" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Geological Survey of Alabama. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
