Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

09/22/2026

Notice of Public Scoping for DGGS Fee Structure Revision for Hyperspectral Scanner Use at the Geologic Materials Center

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is considering a fee structure for the use of a hyperspectral scanning instrument at the Geologic Materials Center. This highly sophisticated technology can capture high resolution spectral data across hundreds of narrow wavelengths of a rock or core sample. The spectral signature is processed to identify and map mineralogy, alteration, grain-scale variations, compositional changes, and other characteristics of the core sample. The result is a detailed spatial mineral map that supports more accurate characterization of lithology, fluid-rock interactions, and geologic heterogeneity.

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) administers fees through the existing regulation 11 AAC 05.090, "Geological and geophysical survey, facilities, equipment, products, services, and publications." The potential regulation(s) could include provisions establishing a fee, creating a methodology to calculate fees, and/or administering the fee for the hyperspectral scanner.

The full public notice is available here: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=225162

Written comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on October 30, 2026.

Please send submissions via email:
[email protected]

Or via mail:
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Attn: Jess Thurman
3354 College Road
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709

09/15/2026

Have you heard of the "GMC" in Anchorage? The Geologic Materials Center archives 700,000+ rock samples and millions of feet of core from Alaska. As the state's largest geologic collection, the GMC is used by researchers, industry and the broader community to increase awareness of economic opportunities and Alaska's geologic history.

The archived samples at the GMC can be borrowed and tested by third parties. Their unreviewed results are published by the DGGS as "Geologic Materials Center Data Report". For example, we recently published the magnetic susceptibility results by Hilcorp Energy for two samples from Prudhoe Bay:

Hilcorp Energy, 2026, Magnetic susceptibility measurements by depth from PRUDHOE BAY UN LIS L3-12 and PRUDHOE BAY UN LIS L3-23 cores, North Slope, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Geologic Materials Center Data Report 477, 1 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/32142

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GMC: https://dggs.alaska.gov/gmc/index.html
Geologic Materials Center Data Reports: https://dggs.alaska.gov/pubs/series/dggs/geologic-materials-center-data-report
Map of GMC samples source locations: https://maps.dggs.alaska.gov/gmc/inventory/search

Photo Credit: Andy Ethington. Staff from DNR and DGGS and members of the Alaska legislature tour the GMC in Anchorage on November 30, 2023. https://maps.dggs.alaska.gov/photodb/detail/36644

09/10/2026

We are map fans! Whether they are new or old, we open them and eagerly pan to Alaska. We wait for something to load. Too often nothing happens. This is a bummer and why the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cooperative National Geologic Map is exciting. It includes Alaska!

The colorful map is searchable by age, material, and rock type. Check it out at

Explore the Cooperative National Geologic Map, a unified view of our Nation's geology, with interactive layers and geologic data.

09/07/2026

DGGS offices are closed today for Labor Day and re-open tomorrow, September 8th. Shout out to the work by, but not limited to, geologists, volcanologists, cartographers, and admin.
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Photo descriptions:
Conor Truskowski working in southeast Alaska on Haines STATEMAP Project. Source: https://maps.dggs.alaska.gov/photodb/detail/28524

Wyatt Mayo (AVO/DGGS) installs a time-lapse camera on the north flank of Shishaldin volcano. https://www.avo.alaska.edu/images/image.php?id=156681

DGGS staff Jennifer Athey and Linda Natrop help students work through tabletop projects at Ft. Wainwright on Earth Day 2016. https://maps.dggs.alaska.gov/photodb/detail/14764

Amy MacPherson (DGGS GIC Section) works on a geologic map for Okmok Volcano. https://maps.dggs.alaska.gov/photodb/detail/23255

DGGS geologist Rainer Newberry collects samples in the field. During 2022, Mineral Resources Section geologists conducted the largest geologic mapping campaign in recent memory, fielding 12 geologists for 460 person-days of work. https://maps.dggs.alaska.gov/photodb/detail/23843

09/03/2026

Curious about Alaska geothermal data? You're in luck! Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys staff presented on this topic at the recent Geothermal Rising Alaska Regional Interest Group meeting.

- Presentation slides: https://dggs.alaska.gov/pubs/id/32136
- Presentation recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ5M0FxVw-w

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Harun, N.T., Hendricks, M.D., and Steinleitner, A.M., 2026, Exploring Alaska’s geothermal data (presentation): Geothermal Rising, Alaska Regional Interest Group, August Meeting, August 19, 2026: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 17 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/32136

08/27/2026

New publication for those new to Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys!

Maybe you recently started following us or perhaps it's been a while since you've accessed geological or geophysical data on our site. Either way, this "Who and what are DGGS" publication is for you.

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Janssen, K.A., Aho, K.B., and DGGS Staff, 2026, Services of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Information Circular 94 v. 2, 2 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/32134

08/24/2026

It's Alaska Hydropower Day 2026!

In 2025, hydropower supplied 29% of the electricity in Alaska, 90% of the renewable power. Alaska is home to over 50 hydroelectric facilities exceeding 480 megawatts of capacity.

The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Renewable Hydropower Program stewards existing and potential hydropower resources throughout Alaska. Read more about it here: https://dggs.alaska.gov/hsg/renewable-hydropower.html

Statement made today by Governor Mike Dunleavy: https://gov.alaska.gov/alaska-hydropower-day-2026/

08/14/2026

Map folks, it's time to update your bookmarks!

The Alaska Geoportal has a new url: https://akgeoportal.alaska.gov/ The geoportal is a single site with geospatial data from 1) State, Federal, Local, Tribal, University, and Non-governmental organizations and 2) all sectors such as mining, recreation, fisheries, elevation, roads.

For more information about the Alaska Geospatial Office at Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys visit https://dggs.alaska.gov/ago/

**This site is separate from a Alaska Mapper, a GIS app for accessing Alaska land-records information and maintained by DNR.

08/12/2026

Meet the new Minerals Resources Section Chief: Gina Lukoczki!

Gina comes to Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys from the Critical Minerals and Geochemistry Team at the Kentucky Geological Survey. Her research on economic geology and the formation and evolution of mineral systems spans from Kentucky to the University of Alberta in Canada to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. Did someone say she is also a big fan of analytical tools? Yes! Fluid inclusion analysis, Raman microscopy, and isotope geochemistry and more.

Welcome to the team Gina!
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Photo description: Dr. Gina Lukoczki examining a possible dolomitized paleokarst-fill in Spelungers Cave in the Edward Mountain Cave System. Gina Lukoczki shows Open House attendees mineral specimens. Credit: Kentucky Geological Survey.

08/10/2026

New pubs! In collaboration with the Alaska Division of Mining, Land and Water, we are publishing five reports to provide permanent public access to these historically significant materials. Much of the associated field documentation and supporting observations exist only in personal files and aging hard copy materials, placing valuable legacy data at risk of loss.

"This report compilation presents five reports documenting the Wishbone Hill fossil recovery project, conducted from May 1, 1997, to December 31, 1998, with an additional field visit in 2001. The project’s fieldwork included measurement of a composite geologic section, collection of amber and plant fossils, mapping of in situ petrified trees, documentation of fossil wood float, and evaluation of fossilized vertebrate tracks."

MP 179A - Pasch, A.D., 2026, Wishbone Hill fossil recovery project, 54 p.
MP 179B - Pasch, A.D., 2026, Chickaloon Formation flora obtained during the reclamation of the Wishbone Hill coal mine, Wishbone Hill fossil recovery project, 54 p.
MP 179C - Pasch, A.D., and Barker, Marilyn, 2026, Plant flora (genera) in the Premier coal group of the Chickaloon Formation, Southcentral Alaska, 26 p.
MP 179D - Collins, H.S., 2026, Mapping an early Eocene fossil forest of the Chickaloon Formation in Southcentral Alaska, 59 p.
MP 179E - Pasch, A.D., and May, K.C., 2026, Assessment of fossil vertebrate tracks and associated plant remains on Wishbone Hill, 55 p.

Pasch, A.D., Montayne, Simone, and Knudson, A.H., 2026, Compilation of Chickaloon Formation paleontological studies from the Wishbone Hill fossil recovery project in Southcentral Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Miscellaneous Publication 179, 3 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/32125