If you are having trouble obtaining historical or out-of-print maps from the USGS, then Digital Data Services, Inc. has your solution.  DDS is located conveniently across from the USGS Earth Science Information Center (ESIC), USGS Map Sales, and the USGS Map Library in Denver, CO.  The Denver office of the USGS is the Central Region office and is one of three of the major offices that house the USGS in the United States!  The USGS Library is the largest earth science library in the world. The library serves the research needs of USGS scientists throughout the nation and provides information to other organizations and individuals in the areas of geology, hydrology, cartography, biology, and related fields.

For historic or out-of-print maps, DDS has access to the USGS Map Library which houses hundreds of thousands of current and historic USGS topo maps.  DDS can then borrow the maps of interest, scan or vectorize the maps, and provide the customer with either a hard-copy reproduction, or an electronic version of the original map on CD or via ftp!

This service is perfect for environmental, geologic, or oil and gas companies who are analyzing current topography or urbanization with surveyed data.

By accessing the online USGS library catalog, Digital Data Services can immediately determine whether the publication is available, and in most cases, DDS can obtain the article of interest and provide the data back to the customer within the next day!   

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Historic Geologic and Special Series USGS Maps

Geologic maps use a combination of lines, symbols, and colors to show the composition and structure of earth materials and their distribution across and beneath the Earth's surface. They generally show bedrock formations like granite or limestone, surficial units such as sediment deposited by glaciers or rivers, and structures like folds and faults. Geologic maps can be used to identify geologic hazards, locate natural resources, and facilitate land-use planning.

The USGS makes many kinds of geologic maps. These maps are available as single or multiple sheets, many of which are folded and placed in a paper jacket. Other geologic maps are enclosed in envelopes bound with USGS reports such as professional papers, bulletins, and water-supply papers. The texts of these reports contain descriptive and interpretive matter that supplements the information on the geologic maps.

USGS geologic maps are typically plotted on topographic or planimetric bases. They range in scale from 1:20,000 to 1:2,500,000 depending on the type of information to be shown and the purpose of the map

Through our access of the USGS library, Digital Data Services, Inc. can provide you with current or historic USGS Geologic Maps.  These maps include:

• Geologic Quadrangle Maps- The Geologic Quadrangle (GQ) Series has more than 1,700 multicolor maps that show the bedrock, surficial, or engineering geology of selected 7.5- or 15-minute quadrangles in the United States. The series, begun in 1949, is a continuation of the earlier Folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States (1894 to 1945).

• Oil and Gas Investigations Maps and Charts- The Oil and Gas Investigations Maps (OM) Series and Charts (OC) Series show the subsurface structure and stratigraphy and surface geology of selected oil and gas fields and of other areas having hydrocarbon potential. They may be black and white or multicolor.

• Miscellaneous Investigations Series Maps- The Miscellaneous Investigations (I) Series contains mostly multicolor maps covering diverse topical material such as bedrock and surficial geology, marine geology, mineral and energy resources, and geophysics and geochemistry. The series also includes maps of the Earth's Moon and other planetary bodies, hydrogeology, landforms, earthquake epicenters, map projections, and oblique-view maps.

• Coal Investigations Series Maps- The Coal Investigations (C) Series contains multicolor or black-and-white geologic maps that show bedrock geology, stratigraphy, and structural relations of selected coal resource areas of the Nation. The numbering of these maps began in 1950; a few unnumbered maps were produced as early as 1935.

• State Geologic Maps- The USGS has compiled multicolor geologic maps in cooperation with about a third of the States. Most other States have prepared and made available their own State geologic maps. USGS State geologic maps currently available are Alaska (1980), Arkansas (1976, revised 1993), Colorado (1979), Kentucky (1981 at 1:250,000; 1993 at 1:500,000), Massachusetts (1983), Nevada (1978), New Mexico (1965, reprinted 1984), North Dakota (1980), Oklahoma (1954, reprinted 1991), Oregon (1991), and Wyoming (1985).

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Quantity discounts are ALWAYS available.

* Applies to single side only.  If map is double-sided, multiply by 2.