U.S. Department of the Interior a U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

Programs in Tennessee

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

which was established in 1879, provides 

earth-science information to aid in the 

understanding, development, management, and protection of the Nation’s land, 

water, mineral, biological, and energy 

resources. The results of that work—maps, 

reports, data, and other information—are 

used every day by persons at all levels of 

government, universities, research institutions, industries, businesses, and individual 

citizens and citizen groups.

The USGS works in all 50 States, frequently in cooperation with others. This 

Fact Sheet describes some of the current 

USGS programs in Tennessee.

Collection of Hydrologic Data

The USGS, in cooperation with numerous Federal, State, and local agencies, collects hydrologic data to meet the needs of 

many users. These data document present 

conditions and provide the cornerstone for 

understanding hydrologic systems and 

solving hydrologic problems. In Tennessee, 

the USGS records streamflow continuously 

at 121 gaging stations equipped with 

recorders and makes instantaneous measurements of streamflow at numerous other 

stations (fig. 1). Ground-water levels are 

monitored statewide, and the physical, 

chemical, and biological characteristics of 

surface and ground waters are analyzed. 

Records of water use are compiled and 

updated and data for the national baseline 

network, water-quality network, and atmospheric-deposition programs are provided.

The data are used for many purposes. 

For example, satellite-transmitted data that 

describe present river conditions are used 

to manage and operate the reservoir systems on the Tennessee and the Cumberland 

Rivers, to respond quickly to floods, and 

for certain cities and towns along the rivers, to determine permissible windows of 

time for waste disposal. The longer term 

record of data—going back in time for 

more than 100 years—is used for various 

engineering purposes and to manage river 

flood-plain development, to determine 

flood-insurance rates, to determine trends 

in water availability and quality, to project 

and plan for future water demand, and to 

conduct interpretive studies of waterrelated problems that may benefit many 

thousands of people.

Minerals Resource Data 

System

The Minerals Resource Data System 

(MRDS), which is a digital data base that 

lists all known mineral sites worldwide, has 

been developed by the USGS, in cooperation with many agencies, to provide up-todate information on mineral occurrences 

and related data. The MRDS supports 

USGS research and mineral-resource 

assessments and is a principal tool for providing mineral-related information to Federal and State agencies, industry, and the 

public. The data base contains information 

on more than 110,000 sites; almost 1,650 

of them are in Tennessee. 

The USGS, in cooperation with the Tennessee Division of Geology, has prepared 

mineral records for Tennessee. Most of the 

Tennessee data describe occurrences of 

barium, iron, zinc, sand and gravel, and 

phosphate. 

Work currently is in progress to transfer 

information in the MRDS to a CD–ROM.

Index of Subjects

Collection of Hydrologic Data 

Minerals Resource Data System

Topographic Mapping 

Geologic Mapping 

Mineral-Resource Potential of Southeastern 

Tennessee

National Assessment of Gold, Silver, 

Copper, Lead, and Zinc Deposits

National Coal Assessment

Earthquake Studies in the Central 

Mississippi River Valley 

Hydrogeologic Investigations at Military 

Bases 

Effects of Agricultural Practices on Water 

Quality in West Tennessee

Fecal Contamination of Water in Bedford 

County

National Water-Quality Assessment 

Program 

Earth Science Information Centers

Figure 1. USGS field crew prepares to measure streamflow of a Tennessee river.

Earth Science in the Public Service
Topographic Mapping

Maps and digital cartographic data have 

innumerable applications, and the requirements for this information are expanding 

dramatically. The National Mapping Program, which is conducted in cooperation 

with numerous State and Federal agencies, 

strives to ensure that map data in graphic 

and digital forms are available to the public 

through timely and effective data-collection 

and revision procedures. 

The 1:24,000-scale topographic maps (1 

inch on the map represents 2,000 feet on 

the ground) are among the most popular 

and versatile products of the USGS. These 

maps are widely used by scientists and 

engineers and have long been favorites with 

the general public for recreational purposes. In addition to showing topography, 

they depict the natural and cultural features 

of the landscape, such as lakes and streams, 

highways and railroads, boundaries, and 

geographic names. Tennessee is covered by 

803 maps at this scale. Digital coverages 

for boundary, hydrography, and transportation features are available for about 25 percent of these maps, and digital elevation 

model coverages are available for about 90 

percent.

Geologic Mapping

The USGS, in cooperation with the 

National Park Service, is conducting field 

studies in the Great Smoky Mountains 

National Park to provide geologic map data 

that will be used to help manage the 

Nation’s most heavily visited National 

Park. Study results are being compiled in 

digital files that can be accessed by computers that have geographic information 

system (GIS) software. GIS provides an 

efficient method for storing and manipulating large amounts of data for this 520,004-

acre park.

Additionally, geologic maps for 368 7.5-

minute quadrangles, mostly for middle 

Tennessee, have been converted to GIS 

coverages; these coverages can be widely 

used for local and regional studies and for 

management purposes. The coverages were 

made by the USGS in cooperation with the 

Tennessee Department of Environment and 

Conservation, the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, the Tennessee Valley Authority, 

and the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (formerly the Soil Conservation 

Service).

As part of the National Geologic Mapping Program, the USGS, in cooperation 

with the Tennessee Division of Geology, is 

mapping the geology of the Greenville, the 

Johnson City, and the Bristol 7.5-minute 

quadrangles in the northeastern part of the 

State. Parts of these areas are underlain by 

limestone in which solution cavities have 

developed. One of the objectives of mapping is to provide geologic information that 

addresses regional concerns about the 

transport of hazardous substances from 

Superfund sites in ground water that flows 

through cavernous limestone.

Mineral-Resource Potential of 

Southeastern Tennessee

Economic growth and development in 

Tennessee depend on the availability of 

local sources of minerals and materials 

used in construction, industry, and manufacturing and for maintaining and upgrading the State’s infrastructure. In 1993, the 

USGS published an inventory of known 

mineral resources in the 8,027-square-mile 

area of the Chattanooga 1° by 2° quadrangle in southeastern Tennessee and maps 

that show potential areas for undiscovered 

deposits. Five tracts that are favorable for 

the occurrence of mineral resources, 

including metals, industrial minerals, and 

fuels were delineated. Construction and 

industrial materials, especially limestone, 

dolomite, sand, and gravel, were shown to 

have the greatest potential for increased 

development to meet current needs and the 

requirements of future population growth, 

industrial expansion, and new markets. The 

report and maps are being used by Federal 

and State land-management agencies, landuse planners, industry, and local governments to help ensure that adequate supplies 

of these minerals remain available and to 

promote resource development at the lowest possible cost. 

National Assessment of Gold, 

Silver, Copper, Lead, and Zinc 

Deposits

A prototype quantitative national assessment of mineral resources is being completed for five commonly used metals—

gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. Objectives of this effort are to list significant 

known deposits, to identify areas with mineral potential, and to estimate the quantity 

of each metal that is likely to be present. 

Although Tennessee does not have known 

economically important deposits of gold, 

silver, or copper, the State does have geologic terrains that are favorable for hosting 

zinc and lead deposits. Tracts that have 

known deposits and potential for deposits 

are outlined on maps on the basis of information in the MRDS and on geologic 

maps. The national assessment will enable 

the USGS to respond quickly to requests 

for information from Congress, Federal and 

State agencies, industry, and the public 

about mineral resources throughout the 

country. The results also will be useful to 

land-use planners who are concerned with 

resource-management issues. 

National Coal Assessment

The USGS is conducting a National 

Coal Assessment (NCA). Coal is an important energy source, which accounts for 

about 25 percent of the total energy used 

and about 56 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. In 1995, about 

2.7 million of the 1.02 billion tons of coal 

produced nationally were mined in Tennessee. It is expected that coal will continue to 

serve as a major energy source as the 

Nation enters the next century, and that the 

quality requirements for this material will 

become even more stringent as new technologies that use coal come on line. Objectives of the NCA are to provide details on 

the location, quantity, and quality of coal 

that can be mined throughout the country 

during the next 20 years, classified by best 

intended use. 

In a related study, the USGS, in cooperation with the Tennessee Division of Geology, is systematically revising, one 

quadrangle at a time, coal-reserve maps and 

reserve estimates for selected areas in the 

Tennessee coal field. Data are being entered 

in the National Coal Resources Data System. The ultimate goal is to publish an upto-date coal-reserve estimate for Tennessee’s 20 coal-bearing counties that can be 

periodically revised and updated as needed.

Earthquake Studies in the 

Central Mississippi River 

Valley

The largest earthquakes known to have 

occurred within the interior of the United 

States struck the central Mississippi River 

Valley during winter 1811–12. They were 

centered in the New Madrid, Missouri, 
region and were felt as far away as Quebec. 

This region continues to have the highest 

level of seismicity east of the Rocky Mountains. Two critical needs for determining 

regional earthquake hazards are the development of an accurate chronology of past 

large earthquakes and the location of buried 

faults along which past movement has 

occurred.

A team of USGS research geologists 

stationed at the University of Memphis is 

investigating prehistoric movement along 

the Reelfoot Fault near Tiptonville (fig. 2). 

The scarp caused by this Fault forms the 

western shore of Reelfoot Lake, which was 

created by the great New Madrid earthquakes. The team’s trenching studies have 

confirmed earlier work by the USGS that 

suggested that two strong earthquakes 

occurred within a 2,000-year period before 

1811. The most recent data indicate that the 

dates of the earthquakes are about 900 and 

1400. These dates are consistent with evidence for those of past earthquakes found 

by other researchers working in nearby 

Arkansas and Missouri. 

As part of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, the USGS, in 

cooperation with the Tennessee Division of 

Geology and Vanderbilt University, is conducting gravity surveys in Lauderdale and 

Tipton Counties. The information that 

results from this work will enable scientists 

to locate buried faults and other geologic 

features associated with earthquakes more 

precisely and will improve the ability to 

predict which areas are most likely to sustain significant damage by a major seismic 

event.

Hydrogeologic Investigations 

at Military Bases 

The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. 

Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. 

Army, is conducting hydrogeologic investigations at three military bases in Tennessee. 

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Location of

Reelfoot Fault

Location of 

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Figure 2. Locations of earthquake research 

studies.

The purpose of the investigations is to provide resource managers with the geologic 

and hydrologic information necessary to 

protect water quality at each facility. 

A study at Arnold Air Force Base has 

provided an overview of the regional 

hydrology and a computer model that simulates the ground-water flow system. A 

detailed study is being made of an area 

where continual pumpage of a 250-footdeep cylindrical excavation, which is used 

for testing rocket motors, has dewatered 

aquifers and induced the transport of contaminants through them. An investigation at 

the Naval Air Station in Memphis has 

defined the stratigraphy that underlies the 

northern part of the base to a depth of about 

1,000 feet and summarized the hydrogeologic character of each formation. Similar 

work is continuing for the southern part of 

the base. The primary objective of a 

recently started study at Fort Campbell is to 

provide information on the occurrence and 

movement of ground water at the base and 

adjacent counties in Tennessee and Kentucky. One of the goals is to delineate the 

recharge area of Boiling Spring, which supplies about 6 million gallons of water per 

day and is the principal source of drinking 

water for the base, so that protective measures may be implemented. 

Effects of Agricultural 

Practices on Water Quality in 

West Tennessee

Agricultural activities are a major contributor to nonpoint-source pollution; that 

is, pollution that cannot be traced to a single point of origin. In Tennessee, agriculture has been cited as one of the five 

leading causes of water impairment. 

Attempts have been made to reduce the 

extent of impairment in some areas by 

implementing conservation-related measures termed “best-management practices” 

(BMP’s).

The USGS is conducting a study to evaluate the effect of agricultural activities on 

water quality and the effectiveness of agricultural BMP’s in the 95,000-acre Beaver 

Creek watershed of West Tennessee. The 

project is being conducted jointly with 

other Federal, State, and county agencies, 

the farming community, and academic 

institutions in support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hydrologic Unit Area 

Program. 

Sediment transport that results from soil 

erosion has been determined to be the 

major water-quality problem in the watershed. Some other significant findings are 

that higher nitrate concentrations are measured in water from wells near septic tanks 

and confined animal facilities than in wells 

near fertilized fields, and wells deeper than 

about 150 feet do not appear to be as 

affected by surface or near-surface nitrate 

sources as those of shallower depth. The 

horizontal transport of aldicarb sulfoxide, 

which is a metabolite (daughter product) of 

the pesticide aldicarb, was negligible, and 

the downward transport was minimal, with 

none being detected below a depth of 2.5 

feet. Nonbiological reactions appear to be 

important mechanisms for the rapid degradation of aldicarb metabolites in the soil 

profile. The findings will be useful for evaluating and improving the BMP’s, reducing 

soil loss from this very fertile area, and 

improving the quality of water in wells and 

streams. 

Fecal Contamination of Water 

in Bedford County

The USGS, in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, recently 

began a study to determine the causes of 

water-quality impairment in the North Fork 

Creek and the Fall Creek watersheds in 

Bedford County, Middle Tennessee. Water 

quality is impaired by fecal contamination 

that has resulted in algal growths in the 

streams and a decline in the quality of 

drinking-water supplies. The watersheds 

are situated on karst (limestone) terrain, 

which is characterized by sinkholes, caves 

and conduit-type ground-water flow. As is 

typical of many karst terranes, water in 

streams and below ground readily interchange. 

Preliminary results after 1 year of study 

show that nitrate–nitrogen in 90 samples of 

stream water approached but did not exceed 

the Tennessee standard for drinking water; 

the number of fecal bacteria colonies in 14 

of 16 samples of stream water exceeded the 

Tennessee standard for recreational water 

use; samples from 4 of 7 streams tested 

positive for laundry brighteners, thus suggesting that septic tank outflow may contribute to the problem; and initial tests at 

the University of Memphis indicate that the 

ribonucleic acid (genetic material) of fecal 

bacteria has excellent potential for defining 

whether the bacteria are of human 
For More

Information or animal origin, and if of animal origin, 

which group of animals. 

Results of the study will help managers 

make decisions to improve the quality of 

water in not only the two watersheds, but 

also in the receiving stream, the Duck 

River, which is the source of water for 

many communities. Additionally, if the use 

of ribonucleic acid proves successful for 

identifying the source of fecal contaminants, then the results will be applicable to 

similar contamination problems worldwide.

National Water-Quality 

Assessment Program

The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was established 

to describe the status and trends in the 

quality of a large, representative part of the 

Nation’s surface and ground waters and to 

identify the natural and human factors that 

affect the quality of these resources. Information produced will be used by policymakers and managers at local, State, and 

national levels for making decisions and 

managing the quality of much of the water 

resources of this country.

The national assessment will consist of 

60 study units that encompass parts of 

most major river basins and aquifer systems in the Nation. Three of the study units 

include regions in Tennessee—the upper 

Tennessee River Basin, the lower Tennessee River Basin, and the Mississippi 

Embayment (fig. 3).

Water-quality assessment activities in 

the upper Tennessee River Basin and the 

Mississippi Embayment study units began 

in 1994. Meetings with public and private 

agencies resulted in an identification and 

prioritization of several water-quality 

issues of regional and local interest, a 

determination of sources of water-quality 

data and other information, and assistance 

in the design and scope of project elements. In the upper Tennessee River Basin 

study unit, most of the water-quality constituents of greatest concern are sediment 

related. Nutrient enrichment from agricultural activities also is a concern to environmental agencies. In the Mississippi 

Embayment study unit, the issues of greatest concern are the impacts of agricultural 

land use and agricultural chemicals on 

water quality. For the Metropolitan Memphis area, the effects of residential land 

use on water quality is a major issue. 

Although study of the lower Tennessee 

River Basin study unit is not scheduled to 

start until 1997, preliminary inquiry of 

Federal, State, and local agencies has 

ascertained that sedimentation, nutrient 

enrichment, and habitat degradation of 

surface water and bacterial contamination 

of ground water are the issues of greatest 

regional importance.

Earth Science Information 

Centers

The Earth Science Information Centers 

(ESIC’s) provide information about USGS 

programs, products, and technological 

developments to the public. The ESIC in 

Knoxville was established under a cooperative agreement between the USGS and 

the University of Tennessee’s Cartographic Information Center. The ESIC in 

Chattanooga is operated by the Tennessee 

Valley Authority. As part of the national 

ESIC network, these offices provide information on such earth science topics as cartography, geography, digital data, remote 

sensing, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, geohydrology, aerial photography, and land use. The Chattanooga 

ESIC also sells maps that cover many 

Southeastern States. The ESIC’s are supported by the USGS with reference materials, technical assistance, training and 

outreach activities, and access to USGS 

data bases.

USGS State representative

810 Broadway, Suite 500

Nashville, TN 37203

Ph: (615) 736-5424

Fax: (615) 736-2066

Email: dc_tn@usgs.gov

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

others meet their needs to manage,

develop, and protect America’s water,

 energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-042-96 Figure 3. National Water-Quality Assessment 

Program study units that include Tennessee.

Mississippi Embayment 

EXPLANATION

Lower Tennessee River Basin

Upper Tennessee River Basin

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