Geologic maps don’t make headlines. You probably haven’t seen one unless you work in energy, construction, or science. Yet, over the past century, these documents have quietly shaped the way we build, drill, and prepare for natural disasters. In the US, geologists have spent millions of hours (and billions of dollars) to make them. But the payoff is stunning.
According to a new report, investments in geological studies have provided a massive return on investment that touches almost every corner of your daily life.
An extremely useful public good
Imagine building a house on unstable ground, or having a school on terrain prone to landslides, or drilling a water well only to hit toxic minerals. That kind of stuff doesn’t really happen much anymore, and the reason for that is geological research. The same goes for finding underground resources. If you ever wondered how we know where the gold, iron, rare earths, and all the other resources are, it starts with a careful mapping of the area (and the subsurface).
Every day, countries and companies make high-stakes decisions based on geological studies and geological maps. For both engineers and policymakers, this information is a vital risk management tool.
A new report titled “Economic Analysis of the Costs and Benefits of Geological Mapping in the United States of America” aimed to quantify these benefits. The report was authored by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents Earth scientists.
According to the study, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and state geological agencies have spent over $1.99 billion compiling geologic maps since the early 1990s. That’s a lot of money. But the new research finds that the benefit of those maps was, under even the most conservative estimates, $13.9 to $20.6 billion.
Let’s put it this way: for every $1 invested in geological mapping, society gets back between $23 and $35. In economic terms, that’s not a good deal; it’s a fantastic deal. That’s a massively important public good.
“Geologic maps are a public good,” the authors write. “They can be used by many people at the same time without being ‘consumed.’”
Millions of people use these maps
Geological maps reveal the age, type, and structure of rocks at or below Earth’s surface. They’re used to find water, minerals, and energy, to guide construction projects, to plan safe and sustainable land use, and to prepare for natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, the report notes.
And people are using them. A lot of people. More than 7.1 million maps were downloaded or sold between 1994 and 2019. As the internet made access easier, the shift from paper to digital maps transformed how and when maps were used — now embedded in everything from environmental consulting to engineering design.
Across sectors, the value of a single geological map ranged from $11,000 to $18,000 per use. Even taking the most conservative estimate — what users said they’d be willing to pay if maps weren’t free — pegged the value around $2,883 per map. Multiply that by the number of actual uses, and you start to see how important these maps are.
In one striking analysis, researchers looked at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program. It cost $86 billion to clean up contaminated sites between 1994 and 2019. If just 2.3% of those costs could have been avoided with better geologic data — say, by avoiding construction on porous or unstable ground — the savings would have paid for the entire U.S. mapping effort over 25 years.
But it’s not just about the money. Reliable, accurate mapping leads to faster project approvals, better community planning, safer infrastructure, and more confidence in decision-making.
Science pays off
In 1992, Congress passed the National Geologic Mapping Act. Since then, funding has grown steadily — and more recently, surged — with the launch of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) in 2017 and a major boost in 2021 through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
These efforts target critical mineral discovery and geophysical surveying. But their foundation is still mapping: boots-on-the-ground science, often blending traditional fieldwork with modern digital tools.
Geologic mapping, the report emphasizes, is a scientific process. Every map is the result of hypothesis testing, data gathering, and synthesis — sometimes taking years to produce. But once complete, that map often becomes the “best available data” for decades.
But we need even more data.
The AGI report also stresses the growing urgency for expanded investment. As the U.S. contends with the increasing impacts of climate change, a shifting energy economy, and the infrastructure demands of a growing population, decision-makers will need detailed, up-to-date geological information more than ever. Additional investment will be worth
Today, large portions of the country remain unmapped or only partially mapped at scales useful for modern engineering or environmental analysis. Without better coverage, communities face blind spots in planning and risk assessment. The report calls for national recommitment to mapping, especially in areas with aging infrastructure, vulnerable aquifers, or seismic risk.
The report’s final message is clear. The economic, environmental, and societal returns from geological mapping are substantial. “Geological maps are a foundational part of our societal infrastructure,” the authors conclude, “with the benefits far outweighing the costs.”
