Dear FGS Friends and Customers,

Perhaps our most significant news this quarter is that the FGS has moved to a new facility.  We are now just down the street from our geologic sample repository and DEP headquarters.  Come by and see us!  Speaking of the core repository, I invite you to read more about that facility to learn of its important role in our mission.  It is also our pleasure to share with you news of FGS award winners – we are fortunate to have such an outstanding team.

This month’s GEOFACT is about LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging. LiDAR is the centerpiece technology of a national initiative led by the U.S. Geological Survey called the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), the goal of which is to collect 3D elevation data across the nation. The U.S. Geological Survey states: “The 3DEP initiative is based on the results of the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment that documented more than 600 business and science uses across 34 Federal agencies, all 50 States, selected local government and Tribal offices, and private and nonprofit organizations. The assessment also shows that 3DEP would provide more than $690 million annually in new benefits to government entities, the private sector, and citizens.” I invite you to read more below about LiDAR and its applications.

Best Regards,

Jonathan D. Arthur, Ph.D., P.G.
Director and State Geologist
Office of the Florida Geological Survey
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

•GEOFACT - Florida's Bare Earth   More…

•FGS Moves to New Location More…

•National Academy Report Addresses Karstic Aquifer   More…

•FGS Top Performers of 2014 Recognized   More…

•FGS Maintains Geologic Sample Repository More…

•See Previous Editions of FGS News and Research More…

Now imagine the geoscience applications of analyzing LiDAR data through time. Change detection, an emerging field of geosciences, tracks landscape evolution due to sinkholes, coastal erosion, migrating drainage patterns, etc., over time.

Many parts of Florida have LiDAR in varying degrees of quality (resolution). However, many areas are not covered and the cost of high-quality statewide coverage is significant. In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the cost to obtain statewide high-quality LiDAR is approximately $19M; however, at a benefit – cost ratio of 4.6 to 1 over an 8 year period, the payback for having this powerful dataset will occur in less than two years. There exists a federal initiative, the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), to obtain LiDAR coverage for the nation. The program is administered by the U.S. Geological Survey, and includes funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, as well as state and local partners. Click here to read The 3D Elevation Program Initiative – A Call For Action, and stay tuned as Florida works toward full LiDAR coverage.

Contact person/info: Dr. Jon Arthur 

You may have heard rumors of our move. Well, at long last, the Florida State University (FSU), the FSU Research Foundation, and FGS-DEP successfully negotiated the relocation of FGS from FSU campus. While a long time in the making, this win-win outcome provides for a modern FGS headquarters and space for construction of FSU’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science building.

In February, the FGS completed its move from the Gunter Building to an upgraded FSU facility a few doors down from the FGS Geologic Sample Repository and DEP headquarters. The facility was redesigned by FSU to meet FGS operational and space needs and the lease maintains level FGS operational expenses.

Our new address is 3000 Commonwealth Boulevard, Suite 1, Tallahassee, FL 32303. While the relocation was a heavy lift, literally and figuratively, contents of labs, special collections, outdoor exhibits, offices, work areas and the geoscience library are now moved to the new facility and we are back up to full speed.

Leaving the historic Herman Gunter Building, named after Florida’s second State Geologist, was bittersweet as the Survey had occupied the building since its construction in 1957. However, the move to 3000 Commonwealth (named “3K” by FGS staff) offers several improvements and exciting opportunities, including the following:

• Ideal entrance space for establishment of a new museum that will include impressive fossils on loan from the Florida Museum of Natural History, educational exhibits and displays of rock and mineral specimens from FGS and donor collections. DEP will issue a press release announcing when the museum opens to the public.
• Improved FGS Library accessibility and services, including additional workspace for maps and logs, user -friendly document scanning, and a streamlined library footprint of unique holdings, balanced by access to an increasing number of online publications.
• Increased efficiency of storage of the FGS M-Series collection. This valuable collection includes rock and sediment outcrop samples from throughout the state, archiving Florida’s surficial geology.
• Upgraded laboratory facilities for wet chemistry, sedimentological analyses, column studies and lithologic descriptions. Increased laboratory and warehouse space supports improved fieldwork staging and sample preparation.
• A larger conference room that accommodates all staff (a nice change from having staff seated in the hallway).
• Improved visitor parking that is handicap-friendly, including ample parking to accommodate meetings and outreach events.
• The newly-renovated, clean, and energy efficient facility meets building codes, and provides improved security.
• Convenient location near an I-10 interchange makes for easier access and deployment of field crews.
• Secure, climate-controlled network infrastructure vault.

We are pleased to be located close to other DEP offices and our fellow FGS staff at the sample repository, which is co-located with FGS drilling operations and other field assets, as well as our microscopy and geochemistry labs. To meet with our co-workers we now only need to walk down the street, and the FGS vehicle pool and conference room are now more available to DEP staff. FGS looks forward to a bright future in its new facility in carrying out its mission to collect, interpret and provide objective quality geological information to the citizens of Florida.

Contact person/info: Dr. Jon Arthur  

The Edwards Aquifer is a karstic aquifer serving more than two million people in the San Antonio region south-central Texas. Because of its karstic nature the Edwards Aquifer has similarities with the Floridan Aquifer, the principal source of drinking water for most of Florida. Groundwater flow in karstic aquifers is complex and dynamic owing to the variable flow rates through underground conduit systems as compared to flow through the small connected spaces in limestone and related rocks. Characterizing these diverse types of groundwater flow through the use of hydrologic models presents a challenge, especially at sub-regional and local scales. Accurate models are important to provide optimum protection of water resources.

Seven endangered species in the Edwards Aquifer region are vulnerable to reduced springs flows. To protect these species and improve management of the aquifer, the Edwards Aquifer Authority and other entities developed a 15-year Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The National Research Council was approached to provide independent scientific review of the HCP, focusing on ecological modeling, hydrologic modeling, biological and water quality monitoring, and applied research. The first phase of a three-phase study is complete and has been released by the National Academy of Sciences. 

Of particular interest to Florida geoscientists, the report presents discussion of the value of a singular model in a regional karst terrain. The National Academy of Sciences report authoring committee stresses the importance of documenting quantified model uncertainty including well-defined sensitivity analyses and validation. The authors also note that including worst-case scenarios regarding water availability (e.g., drought conditions, pumping) and other factors are important toward implementation of the HCP. For more information, a report summary and a pre-publication copy are available.

Contact person/info: Dr. Jon Arthur 

The Florida Geological Survey (FGS) maintains statewide collections of geologic samples, including subsurface well cuttings and cores, surface outcrop samples, paleontological samples, and thin-sections. The well sample collection contains more than 19,500 sets of samples from exploration and mapping, water wells, and oil wells. Sample types include cores, core chips (a sub-sample of a parent core), cuttings, and vibracores. The majority of well samples are represented by sets of drill cuttings. Approximately 1150 wells are represented by continuous core or core samples (a total of approximately 205,000 feet). The deepest continuous core in Florida, 2,810 feet, was drilled by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is housed in the FGS repository. Vibracores are in the minority, as they are typically collected in coastal settings to assist in characterizing beaches or other shallow sediments in areas where heavy equipment either can’t physically go, or would risk damage to the environment. The FGS, USGS, Water Management Districts, private drilling contractors and geologic consultants provide new core and cuttings sample sets which are added to the archives. The sample repository facility occupies 12,090 square feet, with almost 35,000 cubic feet of shelf space.

A collection of over 9,000 outcrop samples and mineral specimens is maintained by the FGS at its new headquarters on Commonwealth Blvd, just down the street from the Douglas and Carr Buildings. These samples are cross-indexed by formation, lithology, county and location. The collection is referred to as the "M-Series." The M-Series is particularly valuable given Florida's high rate of growth and development. Surface exposures of critical lithologies often become inaccessible with the continued proliferation of roadways, shopping centers, parking lots and housing.

These sample archives and the FGS database are utilized by geologists at the FGS, as well as many other State, Federal and local governmental agencies, universities (both in and out of the state), geological consultants, well drillers and the public.

The FGS’s holdings also includes a collection of thin sections and geophysical logs. A complete listing of these items is available on request. For more information about the collections or to make arrangements to view samples, please contact one of the sample collections and repository staff or FGS district geologists. A list of contacts can be found here in contacts.

Contact person/info: David Paul