West Virginia

Summary

Through STATEMAP, Earth MRI, and NGGDPP, the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES) is examining natural resources including critical minerals and producing geologic data and maps that directly support advancement of economic development, identifying geologic hazards, while preserving important and valuable geological collections. These projects support exploration, improve available geologic data, and increase public data access.

STATEMAP

  • Karst Environments:
    • Geologic mapping in multiple regions of West Virginia where karst environments are common. These mapping products are applied to groundwater supply and flow, biodiversity, and geologic hazard studies. The oil and gas industry uses this information to identify karst-prone zones prior to drilling.
  • Regional Seamless Mapping:
    • Completed five regional GIS databases of seamless 1:24,000-scale geologic mapping, with four additional regions in progress. These databases serve a wide range of stakeholders including mineral, oil, gas, and coal exploration companies; state and federal land management agencies; transportation departments; groundwater management agencies; and the general public.
  • Public Access
    • Created an online interface allowing users to download geologic maps and associated data, increasing accessibility and use of mapping products statewide.

Earth MRI

  • Pennsylvanian Underclays:
    • Multistate project examining aluminum-rich, kaolinitic clays for critical mineral potential within Pennsylvanian-age strata. These deposits, found near surface and associated with historic coal mining, are being evaluated for aluminum and rare earth element content.
  • Airborne Geophysics:
    • Conducted magnetic and radiometric data collection across the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, coordinated with neighboring Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The survey supports resource exploration for critical minerals, including rare earth elements.
  • Devonian Shales:
    • Examining organic-rich shale formations for critical mineral resources. These units are major producers of natural gas and natural gas liquids, and may contain significant concentrations of strategic minerals.

NGGDPP (Data Preservation)

  • Historic Data Preservation:
    • Preserved and digitized critical mineral analyses, drill logs, geologic records, and aperture cards from past operations. Archived collections of aerial photography, oil and gas cores, coal cores, and thin sections were cataloged, re-boxed, barcoded, and photographed. Over six cores sampled under Earth MRI were preserved as part of this effort. Crushed coal samples from historic mining operations were also retained for future geochemical work.
  • Modern Accessibility:
    • Constructed new core storage facilities and acquired modern analytical instruments to re-examine historical samples for critical mineral potential. Modernized the coal chemistry database and made it publicly available along with newly digitized geochemical data. Developed an interactive online map for bedrock geology, as well as a searchable catalog of physical and digital geologic samples.

Impact for West Virginia:

  • Strengthens national energy and critical mineral security.
  • Produces regional-scale geologic databases essential for infrastructure, resource exploration, hazard mitigation, and groundwater management.
  • Provides a direct link between historic data preservation and modern exploration.
  • Expands high-quality, publicly accessible geologic data for the citizens and industries of West Virginia.