Search by topic, e.g., Death Valley, to find USGS maps, imagery and publications available for download and/or purchase.
Search the main USGS website for additional reports, maps, field trip guides, etc.
[photo: NPS]
All definitions from https://pubs.usgs.gov/documentation/usgs_series.
USGS Open-File Reports
Open-File Reports are used for the dissemination of information that must be released immediately to fill a public need or information that is not sufficiently refined to warrant publication in one of the other USGS series.
Open-File Reports should not be used as final reports of major scientific investigations. Because of their preliminary nature and chance of being superseded, Open-File Reports are not the appropriate series to introduce new or revised geologic, stratigraphic, hydrologic, or taxonomic nomenclature. Examples of appropriate material for release as an Open-File Report include maps and reports that need to be released as supporting documentation because they are referenced, discussed, or interpreted in another information product; preliminary data, maps, and reports; interim computer programs and user guides; and bibliographies.
USGS Professional Papers
Reports in this series are aimed at a core professional and non-core professional audience. The Professional Paper series is the premier series of the USGS and includes comprehensive reports of wide and lasting interest and scientific or technical importance. The reports are characterized by thoroughness of study and breadth of scope and/or geographic coverage. The series also may include collections of related papers addressing different aspects of a single scientific topic, either issued together under one cover or separately as chapters.
USGS Bulletin
This series is comprised of significant data and interpretations of lasting scientific interest but generally narrower in scope than Professional Papers. Includes collections of related papers addressing different aspects of a single scientific topic, either issued as individual chapters or as a single volume; proceedings and abstracts for USGS-sponsored meetings; some field trip guidebooks and road logs; and general manuals.
Other types of USGS publications
U.S. Geological Survey Publications for the Western United States lists other types of USGS publications and their target audiences.
The SSU Library has access to many USGS publications, in print and electronically. Search the OneSearch catalog by keyword, for example, for:
[source: USGS Geologic Map of Death Valley]