198-1 Putting Geoheritage on the Map: Showcasing unique geology across the United States via the U.S. Geological Survey Geoheritage Sites of the Nation Explorer

Session: Geoheritage Without Borders: International Perspectives on the Conservation and Celebration of Geodiversity, Part II

Presenting Author:

Tom Casadevall

Authors:

Casadevall, Tom¹, Van Sistine, D. Paco², Casadevall, Thomas J.³, Henderson, Timothy C.⁴, Ruppert, Leslie F.⁵, Johnson, Nailah T.⁶, Lopez Hetland, Brianna R.⁷, Mossa, Lindsay Catherine⁸, Brase, Lauren Elizabeth⁹, McGee, Sequoyah¹⁰, Robeck, Edward C.¹¹

Abstract:

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides objective and impartial science to continuously address ever-changing societal needs. To highlight the importance of geology and geologic mapping in addressing societal needs throughout history, the USGS launched the Geoheritage Sites of the Nation Explorer (https://apps.usgs.gov/geoheritage_sites_of_the_nation/)—an interactive web map application designed to showcase unique geology with significant scientific, educational, cultural, economic, and aesthetic values. This application is the culmination of a multi-year effort funded by the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program and, more recently, the USGS Mineral Resources Program to better communicate the past, present, and future connections between geology and society. Through a series of workshops and seminars organized with partners and stakeholders within the geoheritage community, we learned best practices for collecting and organizing geoheritage information, identifying geoheritage sites, developing the geoheritage application database, and incorporating ideas to ensure that we meet the goal of developing an educational and outreach tool emphasizing the importance of geology and geologic mapping.

To announce this new application, we published a USGS news release for the launch and started a monthly social media campaign. The application was also mentioned during the first installment of the Geological Society of America geoheritage webinar series in May 2025. We not only wanted to announce this new application but engage with end-users, an effective technique we learned from previous workshops, which enabled us to provide this application directly to educators and collaborate on developing additional functionality and related resources. We presented the new application during an in-person workshop on a variety of topics for secondary educators from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia in June 2025. A demonstration of the application was followed by an activity to solidify the concepts of geoheritage, brainstorm ideas for use in the classroom, and provide feedback on usability of the application for education. Additionally, we are working with the American Geosciences Institute to design a workshop to familiarize educators with geoheritage educational resources, like the Geoheritage Sites of the Nation Explorer, and gather information on not only the application’s design and usability, but also the curated resources connected through the application. Connecting geoheritage information to USGS science can spark curiosity within the next generation of geoscientists responsible for addressing societal needs in the future.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-9840

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