Office of Geology

The Office of Geology is the component of the Department of Environmental Quality. Geology is the basis of the environment. Information collected by Office of Geology research into Mississippi’s geology is vital to nearly every area of air, land, and water and benefits the people and economy of the state.

Work Areas

• Mining and Reclamation
  • Regulates all surface mining.
• Surface Geology
  • Maps surface geology, examines fossils, and identifies minerals.
• Publications and Map Sales
  • Sells geologic and topographic maps.
• Environmental Geology
  • Conducts research into environmental, engineering, and groundwater geology.  Archives geological data collected by industry and the geophysical logging and drilling programs.  Provides industry, researchers, and the public with updated geophysical information for the state.
• Geospatial Resources
  • Administers MDEM, Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM), Energy Library, and GIS coordination activities.
• Fossil Friday 
  • Every Friday, a #FossilFriday photo is posted to MDEQ’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram page. Click the link for a more detailed description of each photo posted.

Direct Links

• List of Publications of the Office of Geology
• Flood Map Modernization – status of mapping and viewer
• Mining and Reclamation viewer – view permitted mines
• Environmental Geology – geophysical information and viewer
• Energy Library — searchable database of oil and gas well and field information
• Fossils – fossil encyclopedia (in progress)
• Coastal Geology – Coastal Resource and GIS data
• MDEM – Mississippi Digital Earth Model

Useful Links

• Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists (MSBRPG)
• Association of American State Geologists (AASG)
• United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Office of Surface Mining (OSM)
• National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB)

Contact Information