The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the United States government whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March 3, 1879, to study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The agency also makes maps of extraterrestrial planets and moons based on data from U.S. space probes.
The sole scientific agency of the United States Department of the Interior, USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. It is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with major offices near Lakewood, Colorado; at the Denver Federal Center; and in Menlo Park, California. In 2009, it employed about 8,670 people.
The current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is "science for a changing world". The agency's previous slogan, adopted on its hundredth anniversary, was "Earth Science in the Public Service".
Since 2012, the USGS science focus has been directed at topical "Mission Areas" that have continued to evolve. Further organizational structure includes headquarters functions, geographic regions, science and support programs, science centers, labs, and other facilities.
The USGS regional organization aligns with the U.S. Department of the Interior Unified Interior Regions:
Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf
Region 3: Great Lakes
Region 4: Mississippi Basin
Region 5: Missouri Basin
Region 6: Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf
Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
Region 8: Lower Colorado Basin
Region 9: Columbia-Pacific Northwest
Region 10: California-Great Basin
Region 11: Alaska
Region 12: Pacific Islands
USGS operates and organizes within a number of specific science programs, facilities, and other organizational units:
The Earthquake Hazards Program monitors earthquake activity worldwide. The National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) in Golden, Colorado, on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines detects the location and magnitude of global earthquakes.