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SACRAMENTO – The California
Geological Survey, part of the
Department of Conservation, has been
awarded a $333,630 grant from the
federal government to complete important
mapping projects in seven counties.
The grant was the largest issued this
year and the largest ever received by
the CGS through the STATEMAP portion of
the National Cooperative Geologic
Mapping Program, administered by the
U.S. Geological Survey.
"We’re pleased and proud that the
federal program recognized the
importance of the work proposed by the
California Geological Survey and chose
to fully fund our grant request," DOC
Director Darryl Young said.
CGS will use most of the funding to
update or create digital geologic maps
in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Los
Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and
Ventura counties.
A geologic map shows distribution of
earth materials such as rocks and
landslides and structural features such
as faults and folded strata. Text on the
maps provides information on the
geologic age of the materials as well as
their physical properties. A geologist
can deduce geologic history, potential
occurrence of valuable minerals, as well
as possible geologic hazards in the
mapped area. Modern maps are in digital
form, extending their usefulness in
decision-making by allowing geologic
information to be combined with other
data, such as demographics or
infrastructure.
Geologic maps serve as the basis for
other, more detailed work. In the grant
request, CGS and an advisory committee
targeted areas designated by the Seismic
Hazard Zone Mapping Program for future
zoning. Seismic Hazard Zone maps define
areas that are more likely to experience
the secondary earthquake hazards of
liquefaction and landslides during a
large earthquake. Local building
departments must require site-specific
geologic investigations before
construction can begin in zoned areas to
ensure the safety of buildings.
"The geologic mapping program is driven
by where the population is and where the
hazards are," State Geologist James
Davis explained. "Some people are under
the impression that once you do a
geological map of a location it never
has to be done again. But when you get
down to the scale needed for our Seismic
Hazard Zone maps – one inch equals 2,000
feet, or better – the older maps where
one inch equals a mile don’t work."
The National Cooperative Geologic
Mapping Program came about because the
Association of State Geologists
recognized that geologic mapping was not
keeping up with other endeavors. Older
geologic maps were prepared at too small
a scale and on older base maps so that
they were not precise enough for the
current demands of geologic hazards
mapping.
Most if not all states participate in
the competitive grant program annually.
CGS has received $1,415,592 through
STATEMAP, which has awarded $36 million
to state entities since 1993. The grants
to CGS, paired with nearly $1.2 million
in state money, has made possible
mapping work in 16 counties. The results
have been incorporated into
decision-making on a wide variety of
local and regional issues, including
geologic-hazard mitigation, land-use
planning and identifying potential
mineral resources.
"Nowhere in the U.S. are so many people
confronted with as many geologic hazards
as they are in California," Davis noted.
"More than 75 percent of the state’s 35
million people reside in seismically
active coastal regions. Dollar losses
due to earthquakes, landslides and other
geologic hazards amount to hundreds of
millions each year, on the average. Much
of the basic data utilized in efforts to
reduce these losses come from geologic
maps."
In addition to its programs to identify
and map seismic hazards and mineral
resources, the Department of
Conservation manages California's earth
resources through its programs that
safeguard farmland and open space;
oversee oil, gas and geothermal wells;
ensure mined land reclamation; and
promote beverage container recycling.
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