News


Mon, 09/23/2024

KGS to explore on-farm integration of solar energy, water management

Kansas Geological Survey scientists have been awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to spearhead the development of an innovative technology system that will leverage underused corners of farm fields to generate energy and collect water.
Mon, 09/16/2024

KGS releases new water, oil and gas interactive mappers

The Kansas Geological Survey has released new versions of its online Oil and Gas and Water Well (WWC5) mappers, which allow users to spatially interact with Kansas oil, gas, and water well data along with other complementary data for exploring Kansas’s underground resources.
Tue, 08/27/2024

KGS map wins award at professional conference

A new geologic map of Lincoln County received second place in the "Thematic Map" category at the largest international conference dedicated to geographic information system technology.
Mon, 07/29/2024

Airborne Survey of Northwest Kansas Aquifer Completed Successfully

The Kansas Geological Survey and its research partners recently completed an airborne survey in northwest Kansas that will allow scientists to create a 3-D image of the High Plains aquifer in that area at a level of detail that has not previously been possible.
Wed, 07/03/2024

KGS Assesses Potential for Critical Minerals in Eastern Kansas

The KGS, in collaboration with industry partners, recently drilled and cored a well in Lyon County to evaluate layers of underground rock that may be enriched in critical minerals — non-fuel minerals and elements that are vital to electronics and other advanced technologies.
Tue, 05/21/2024

Airborne Electromagnetic Survey of Aquifer Conditions in Northwestern Kansas

Beginning in late May and continuing for much of June, residents of northwest Kansas may see a low-flying helicopter towing a large hexagonal frame, part of a project to map groundwater conditions in the Ogallala aquifer in that part of the state.
Fri, 05/10/2024

KGS Postdoc Wins Research Travel Award

The Buzas Award for Travel will allow KGS postdoctoral scholar Belkasim Khameiss to study the renowned Cushman Collection of foraminifera at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
Fri, 04/12/2024

Geologic Map for Lincoln County Now Available

Our new full-color geologic map of Lincoln County shows the type and age of rock layers at or near the surface in the north-central Kansas county.
Thu, 03/21/2024

Live Climate-Focused Podcast to Feature KGS Researcher

An interview with KGS postdoctoral researcher Malena Orduña Alegría will be featured in a live episode recording of the climate-themed podcast “The Sweaty Penguin.” “Understanding Water Use in Kansas” will take place at 5:30 p.m. March 25 in the Hawk’s Nest of the Kansas Union.
Thu, 03/14/2024

Groundwater Measurement Results Mixed in Western, South-Central Kansas

Preliminary groundwater level measurements compiled by the KGS show mixed results for western and south-central Kansas in 2023, with some areas in the northwest and west-central part of the state experiencing increases for the first time in three or more years.
Tue, 12/12/2023

KGS, State Agency to Measure Groundwater Levels in Western Kansas

A KGS crew and staff from three field offices of the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Water Resources will be in western Kansas measuring groundwater levels the first week of January.
Wed, 12/06/2023

KGS Report Assesses Health of the High Plains Aquifer

A new publication from the Kansas Geological Survey assesses current conditions and trends in water levels and groundwater usage in the High Plains aquifer, the state’s most economically important groundwater resource.
Tue, 10/24/2023

KGS Scientist, Colleagues Receive $1.16 Million NSF Grant

A collaboration of scientists from six organizations, including the KGS, has received a $1.16 million grant from the National Science Foundation to implement and study the effects of a field safety, anti-harassment, and bystander intervention training certificate program.
Mon, 07/31/2023

In New Space Race, KGS Scientists Propose Geoarchaeology Can Aid in Preserving Space Heritage

Two KGS scientists and their colleagues have proposed a new scientific subfield: planetary geoarchaeology, the study of how cultural and natural processes on Earth’s moon, on Mars, and across the solar system may be altering, preserving, or destroying the material record of space exploration.
Mon, 05/22/2023

KU Scientist Receives Honorary Membership Award from International Organization

Evan K. Franseen is the recipient of the 2023 Honorary Membership Award from SEPM, the Society for Sedimentary Geology, for “excellence in professional achievement and extraordinary service to the Society.”
Thu, 05/04/2023

Geochemists at the University of Kansas Determine Age of the Dinosaur Utahraptor

Scientists from three state geological surveys determined that rocks in the Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation — and the Utahraptor fossils found within — are 10 million years older than previously known. Earlier estimates put the age of the rocks and fossils at 125 million years old.
Wed, 03/15/2023

Survey Shows Geoscientists from Historically Excluded Groups More Likely to Experience Hostile, Discriminatory Behavior at Work

A first-of-its-kind workplace climate survey of earth and space scientists indicates that scientists of color, women, those with disabilities, and other groups historically excluded from geoscience careers are more likely to experience hostile and discriminatory behavior at work.
Fri, 03/10/2023

Groundwater Levels Fall Across Western and South-Central Kansas

Average groundwater levels across western and south-central Kansas fell by nearly 2 feet in 2022, according to preliminary data compiled by the Kansas Geological Survey.
Mon, 01/30/2023

New Program to Match STEM Undergraduates, Faculty Mentors

A team of University of Kansas scientists has received a five-year, $1 million grant to match undergraduates in STEM disciplines with faculty mentors as a means of increasing diversity in STEM graduate programs and careers while combatting career challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mon, 01/23/2023

KGS Associate Researcher Receives KU Research Achievement Award

Blair Schneider, associate researcher and science outreach manager at the Kansas Geological Survey, is this year’s recipient of the KU Research Staff Achievement Award.
Thu, 01/12/2023

Kansas Coalition to Take Step Toward Development of Regional Hydrogen Hub

A coalition of Kansas public entities and private partners will apply for federal funding that could make Kansas a regional hub in the emerging hydrogen economy.
Tue, 12/06/2022

Geologic Map for Miami County Now Available

The KGS has released a new full-color geologic map of Miami County that highlights the type and age of rock layers found at the surface or immediately below the vegetation and soil in the east-central Kansas county.
Mon, 11/28/2022

KGS Emeritus Scientist Receives Water Legacy Award

Donald O. Whittemore, emeritus scientist at the Kansas Geological Survey whose groundbreaking work toward understanding and addressing water resources issues in Kansas has touched every corner of the state, is the recipient of the Water Legacy Award presented by the Kansas Water Office.
Tue, 11/01/2022

KGS Map Wins Award at Professional Conference

LAWRENCE — A new geologic map of Miami County published by the Kansas Geological Survey received an Excellence in Cartography award at the world’s largest conference dedicated to geographic information system (GIS) technology. ...

Wed, 10/26/2022

DASC Manager Receives National 2022 Geospatial Excellence Award

LAWRENCE — Eileen Battles, manager of the Kansas Data Access & Support Center housed at the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas, is the recipient of the 2022 Geospatial Excellence Award–Catalyst from the National States Geographic Information Council. ...

Tue, 10/11/2022

Kansas Geological Survey Scientist, Partners Receive National Science Foundation Funding to Expand Program to Reduce Barriers in STEM Occupations

A National Science Foundation grant will allow a researcher from the Kansas Geological Survey and her collaborators at seven other institutions to expand a program to reduce hostile workplace climate barriers in STEM occupations.
Mon, 10/10/2022

Kansas Geological Survey Scientists Collaborate on Project to Identify Unmarked Graves in Local Cemetery

A joint project of the Kansas Geological Survey, Douglas County Historical Society’s Oak Hill Cemetery Program Committee, and Watkins Museum of History aims to uncover and memorialize the stories of hundreds of people interred in Oak Hill Cemetery’s potter’s field from the 1860s through the 1910s.
Tue, 08/16/2022

Kansas Geological Survey Scientist Receives Early Career Award

Sam Zipper, assistant scientist and geohydrologist at the Kansas Geological Survey, is the 2022 recipient of the Kohout Early Career Award from the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America.
Wed, 08/10/2022

Kansas Geological Survey Honors Outstanding Students

LAWRENCE—Four University of Kansas students received outstanding achievement awards in May from the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), based in KU's West District. ...

Thu, 06/23/2022

Kansas Geological Survey Project Aims to Help Agricultural Communities Prepare for Risks of Climate Change in the Kansas River Basin and Eastern Great Plains

A new project based at the Kansas Geological Survey aims to help rural communities on the eastern Great Plains, including in eastern Kansas, manage agricultural and water resources today and prepare for potential risks posed by a changing climate.