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Geological Survey

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  • Preventing Roadblocks: PRI Keeps Illinois on the Straight and Narrow

    Jan 31, 2024 8:00 am

    With the help of Prairie Research Institute scientists, transportation agencies are building Illinois roads in compliance with state and federal regulations, while preserving Illinois’ physical, biological, natural, and cultural resources.

  • SkyTEM helicopter-based time-domain electromagnetics (HTEM) flying overheard at Frasca Airfield.

    PRI expands innovative aquifer-mapping project over East Central Illinois

    Feb 29, 2024 8:00 am

    Residents of Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion counties in East Central Illinois may have unknowingly witnessed extraordinary science taking place overhead – a low-flying helicopter equipped with a large coil frame, part of a groundbreaking project by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a division of the University of Illinois' Prairie Research Institute (PRI). 

  • United States Military Academy in West Point, New York

    PRI geoscientists begin work on $6 million federal investment in geothermal energy

    Nov 29, 2023 2:00 pm

    Geoscientists from the Illinois State Geological Survey have begun geologic and hydrogeologic site characterization work for major federal geothermal energy projects.

  • geothermal drill

    PRI leads campus collaboration with ORNL geothermal energy technology

    Mar 20, 2023 8:00 am

    The Prairie Research Institute (PRI), Student Sustainability Committee (SSC), Facilities & Services (F&S), Illinois Water Resources Center (IWRC), Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) gathered on Feb. 27, 2023, to break ground on installing an underground thermal battery (UTB) at the Energy Farm in Urbana, IL.

  • a hand clad in a purple latex glove holds a small snake against a grassy backdrop

    PRI offers applied science internships for summer 2022

    Jan 28, 2022 8:00 am

    PRI is offering hands-on summer internships that will enable undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in graduate study at Illinois to explore careers in applied science. There are opportunities in atmospheric science and climate; biology, ecology, and environmental science; geology; sustainable energy; and water supply and safety. To see all of the internship options and to apply, visit https://go.illinois.edu/PRI-interns

  • PRI petroleum geologist receives campus honor

    Apr 3, 2014 1:45 pm
  • Walt Kelly, Zohreh Askari, and Sam Panno

    PRI researchers gain new insights into how groundwater flows within the Illinois Basin

    Sep 15, 2017 3:00 pm

    A conceptual model of water movement in rock layers many feet underground, published by Prairie Research Institute scientists, shows for the first time that water is flowing steadily south through the thick sequence of rock layers that form the Illinois Basin.

  • Lake Michigan coast

    PRI research targets coastal resilience and water planning challenges

    Jul 29, 2024 8:00 am

    PRI scientists are investigating how artificial reef complexes can stabilize shorelines and developing strategies to address water sustainability challenges and future water planning. These efforts aim to provide critical insights that will inform decision-making and improve environmental management in the southern Lake Michigan region.

  • PRI scientists bring expertise to study of critical interfaces

    Nov 16, 2020 8:30 am

    PRI scientists from the Illinois State Water Survey and Illinois State Geological Survey are part of a collaborative project to study “critical interfaces” in the environment.

  • Direct air capture system

    PRI selected to lead feasibility studies for three Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs

    Aug 15, 2023 8:00 am

    PRI was selected to lead an effort to promote promising technologies that can capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it underground at three different sites in Illinois, Colorado, and Florida. Read the full announcement from the Department of Energy (DOE) here.

  • Direct air capture system

    PRI tapped to lead feasibility studies for three regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs

    Oct 5, 2023 8:00 am

    This once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure will support efforts to build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves a zero-carbon energy system by 2035 and to put the United States on a path to strengthen energy prosperity and achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050. 

    PRI is specifically tasked with executing feasibility and pre-feasibility studies of potential DAC Hub locations, ownership structures, business models, CO2 storage/utilization option(s), and technology partner(s) outlined in the following stage 1 of potential multi-stage projects in Illlinois, Colorado, and Florida.

  • Propelling Innovation: PRI and Illinois’ Industrial Evolution

    Jan 31, 2024 9:15 am

    The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), part of the Prairie Research Institute, plays a vital role in researching and analyzing Illinois’ mineral resources, including coal, fluorite, lead, limestone, and sand and gravel. Their work has been instrumental in mapping reserves, guiding sustainable mining practices, and informing policy decisions.

  • flooded neighborhood

    Reflecting on the Great Midwestern flood of 1993

    Dec 4, 2023 12:30 pm

    In 1993, the Midwestern United States experienced one of the worst flooding disasters in modern U.S. history. The Great Flood became the most costly and devastating modern flood that has ever been seen in the United States. Twenty million acres across nine states were inundated, with some areas remaining above flood stage for over 150 consecutive days.

  • Hannes Leetaru

    Remembering Dr. Hannes Leetaru

    Jun 5, 2023 1:45 pm

    It is with immeasurable sadness that we share that Hannes Leetaru passed away on May 31st. "Hannes was perhaps the most committed scientist that I have encountered to the ideals, goals, and philosophy of what a geological survey embodies and the impact that it has on both the scientific community and the social community that it directly and positively impacts," said Dick Berg, State Geologist and Director of the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS).

  • Richard C. Berg Named New Director of the Illinois State Geological Survey

    Jun 16, 2015 3:00 pm

    On June 16, 2015, Dr. Richard C. Berg was named the new director of the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) and 13th Illinois State Geologist. Berg has served the ISGS in various positions with increasing responsibilities during his 40-year career—from research assistant, to geologist, to section head, to chief scientist/principal geologist, to interim director, and now director.

  • crushed stone quarry

    Study finds aggregate industry shifting focus, still a stalwart in state economy

    Jul 25, 2016 10:30 am
  • power lines

    Three new DOE-funded PRI projects set to design energy storage systems for power plants

    May 7, 2021 10:15 am

    It is challenging to integrate renewable resources into the distribution grid of fossil-fueled power plants when energy is most needed. The results are often intermittent and unpredictable, which makes it difficult to match energy demand with supply.

    In three new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded projects, scientists in the Prairie Research Institute will design systems and explore the feasibility of combining the use of renewable and fossil energy sources to ensure both short and long-term reliability in electric power delivery.

  • Campus Instructional Facility

    UIUC’S largest geothermal system goes online

    Apr 29, 2021 3:30 pm

    The largest geothermal energy system implemented at the university so far went online in April, at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF) ahead of its opening this coming fall. The CIF geothermal system was designed using data acquired and analyzed from a nearby geothermal monitoring well installed by the Illinois State Geological Survey and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. 

  • Understanding erosion at Illinois Beach State Park

    Aug 27, 2020 4:45 pm

    ISGS and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Program are studying shoreline dynamics, erosion, and habitat loss at Illinois Beach State Park, one of the last stretches of natural coastline in Illinois. 

  • Understanding Lake Michigan's dynamic shoreline

    Sep 11, 2020 4:30 pm

    ISGS scientists work the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to develop a better understanding of shoreline dynamics along the Illinois coast of Lake Michigan. Such insights are needed to inform coastal managers on how to best preserve the remaining natural coastline in Illinois.

  • Aerial view of fully installed submerged rubble ridges

    Underwater innovation at Illinois Beach State Park to help mitigate coastal erosion

    Feb 18, 2022 4:00 pm

    This past summer, with funding from the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a US Army Corps of Engineers crane carefully placed over 10,000 tons of stone five hundred feet offshore of Illinois Beach State Park (ISBP) and Hosah Park, a Zion Park District property wedged between the north and south units of IBSP. These stones form three “rubble ridges” that are intended to work in concert to lessen storm waves and protect the eroding beach and unique terrestrial ecosystem in the dunes while preserving views and enhancing fish habitat.

  • U. of I. to receive Energy Frontier Research Center awards

    Jul 3, 2014 1:45 pm

  • Wetlands geologist Eric Plankell among 16 honored with Chancellor's Staff Excellence Award

    Apr 2, 2025 12:00 pm

    Sixteen academic professionals and civil service staff members have received the Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award recognizing exceptional performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A CSEA committee recommends finalists, who are approved by Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones.

  • coal ball

    Windows to the deep past

    Sep 21, 2023 8:00 am
  • Yu-Feng Lin

    Yu-Feng Lin named director of Illinois Water Resources Center

    Feb 13, 2018 2:15 pm

    Yu-Feng Lin, a hydrogeologist at the Illinois State Geological Survey, is the new director of the Illinois Water Resource Center, which addresses the state’s water resources challenges through research and education.