Home - ESCI 530 - Geological Field Methods

Topographic Map Resources

The Department of Earth Sciences at UNH aims to improve our understanding of the Earth, and the processes that affect it, through excellence in teaching, research, and service. We offer undergraduate and graduate degrees encompassing a broad spectrum of disciplines including geology, hydrology, oceanography, ocean mapping, geochemistry, climate science, and geophysics.

USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer
View, overlay, and download all historic USGS topographic maps
USGS Topoview
Search, view, and download all topographic maps from the Historical Topographic Mapping Collection (HTMC) prior to 2006.
TerraServer – Viewer Aerial Photos & Satellite Images
Created by USGS and Microsoft Research, you can view and download Topographic Maps and Aerial Photos. Note: subscription-based. only small portions of each map or area can be viewed and downloaded.

Geological Map Resources

The National Geologic Map Database (USGS)
Search for geoscience maps, reports, and stratigraphic information from a variety of publishers; covers early 1800s to present day. Includes multiple search options such as their mapView interface and their Geolex (U.S. Geologic Names Lexicon) interface.
The National Map Viewer
The National Map has a variety of datasets available including: US Topo maps (digital); Historical scanned Topo maps; Geographic Names for places, structures, parks, hydrology, etc.; Structures (point file); Transportation: roads, airports; Government boundaries: reserves, counties, congressional districts, etc.; Hydrography: watershed boundary dataset, waterbody, flow direction, flow line, etc. and Land Cover (2001, 2006, 2011)
USGS Mineral Resources Program data for conterminous US
These data support regional-scale mineral resource assessments and some detailed analysis of particular sites. Data pulled from the USGS Mineral Resources Online Data Catalog.
USGS Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data
Interactive maps and downloadable data for regional and global Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Mineral Resources.
NH GRANIT
New Hampshire's Statewide Geographic Information System (GIS) Clearinghouse. Find geospatial layers including bedrock and surficial geology by alphabetical order.

USGS and State Geological Surveys

NH Geological Survey

NH State Geological Survey New Hampshire Geologic Survey publications include bulletins, bulletins with maps, maps, subject reports and Fact Sheets. You can search the publications list for the Bedrock Geologi cal maps - many of these maps are in the UNH Library Map Room.

Other Geological Surveys

If you are looking for a specific survey, try searching by survey name.

National Surveys: Association of American State Geologists state surveys
International Surveys: The Geological Surveys of Europe

For conference field trips, search by organization and year of the conference. (Examples include: the Geological Society of America; National Association of Geology Teachers; or the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists.)

Can't find what you are looking for? Ask a librarian!

Other online resources

National Pipeline Mapping System
Find pipelines near your school to help you quickly respond to a pipeline problem and protect students, staff and facilities.
U.S. Energy Mapping System
Explore the landscape of energy sources and power plant distribution across the nation.
US DOE Bioenergy Potential (Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework)
An interactive map of biomass production potential across the United States to show how much biomass may be available for bioenergy production from the present day through to the year 2040.
USGS National Geologic CO2 Storage Assessment
Published and unpublished storage assessments for 36 sedimentary basins
NOAA/BOEM Marine Cadastre National Viewer
Over 275 marine and coastal issues geoscience map layers are available including: Active offshore oil and gas leases, drilling platforms, oil and gas wells, selected pipelines, and BOEM planning areas; Active offshore renewable energy leases and BOEM planning areas (wind energy and marine hydrokinetics); and Offshore energy potential for ocean currents, tides, waves, and wind.
NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer
Data looks at social vulnerability of coastal regions; areas currently already subject to coastal flooding; impacts on marshes; and the different levels of confidence with which predictions can be made in different areas.