Matthew Streeter, a soil scientist with the Iowa Geological Survey, has recently expanded his expertise to the wildfire-prone landscapes of Palo Cedro, California.

Matthew Streeter and Thomas Stoeffler led a demonstration for Muscatine high school students at the Muscatine Agriculture Learning Center. They showcased the operation of a drill rig to install a monitoring well and extract soil cores to teach soil health principles

The Iowa Geological Survey will be leading a field trip in Muscatine County on Saturday, September 28.

Iowa Geological Survey researchers investigated groundwater flow patterns within the Spring Run pothole wetland complex located east of East Lake Okoboji. Results are helping IGS develop a better understanding of the hydrology present within the IGL watershed and the larger PPR region.

A conversion of several factors, some natural and some self-imposed, is leading to recognition that the State of Iowa needs a plan to safeguard groundwater reserves in the future.

The field of hydrogeology (hydro- meaning water, and -geology meaning the study of the earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the subsurface. Groundwater can be an abstract idea to folks because it is occurs below ground and cannot be directly observed.

Please enjoy an online copy of our magazine, The IGS Geode, showcasing some of the Iowa Geological Survey’s activities during the past year.

Anyone who has driven across Iowa knows that the state is dominated by agriculture. But among the fields lined with corn, soybean, and livestock, a new feature is becoming more common: wetlands.

Evidence of how Iowa has evolved over Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history is preserved in the rocks. The job of an IGS geologist is to study these rocks using a variety of tools and methods and from the data collected continue to reveal and refine our understanding of that history.

The IGS monitors groundwater levels in 48 wells scattered across Iowa that are completed in most of the major bedrock aquifers. These wells provide a historical record of groundwater levels and help evaluate aquifer sustainability.