Indiana Geological and Water Survey

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy competitively awarded Indiana University with research funding to collect and analyze data on the potential for Indiana’s bedrock to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) and provide Indiana stakeholders with technical information that can underpin policy decisions.

As a result, the Indiana Geological and Water Survey has released two NEW publications that evaluate and summarize geological sequestration potential in Indiana.

"Geological Carbon Sequestration in Indiana" is a StoryMap that summarizes the potential for Indiana’s bedrock to sequester carbon dioxide and provides an overview of geological sequestration, including its history, regulatory oversight, and associated hazards for a general audience.
https://doi.org/10.14434/ijes.v8i1.42880

"Characterization of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Potential of Indiana" is an in-depth, 196-page report that shares maps related to storage capacity of saline reservoirs and the sealing capacity of regional caprocks, as well as the mapped locations of parameters that may impact CO2 containment and feedback from communities where carbon capture and storage projects are proposed.
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/IJES/article/view/43084

These publications are freely available and part of our mission to disseminate information that contributes to the wise stewardship of the Indiana's energy, mineral, and water resources.

Photo Description: Photograph of a sandstone bedrock core from 3,340 to 3,351 ft underground in Jasper County that was collected in 1964 and reanalyzed in 2024 for this project.

67 cores reboxed and 1 kitten rescued! 🐱

The IGWS is working on a 3-year project to rebox the Bedrock Core Collection into stable, archival quality boxes thanks to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Preservation grant. We've completed 67 cores so far, approximating 8,400 feet of rock.

Bonus- A cute kitten found her way into the core facility this week and was saved by a few feline-friendly staff members. Collections staff can do it all!

Join our team!

The IGWS is seeking to hire a physical hydrogeologist (job ID 319136) and a hydrogeochemist (job ID 319135) to support the statutory responsibilities of the Survey and its Center for Water.

Details and applications for both positions are available on https://jobs.iu.edu.

Do you know an Indiana educator who would love to spend a week learning about rocks, minerals, and how earth materials affect our daily lives?

The IGWS is teaming up with the Indiana Mineral Aggregates Association for another Bringing Life to Aggregates Summer Teacher's (BLAST) Institute!

The 2026 IMAA BLAST Institute will be July 20-24 in Bloomington. Registration is only $75 for the entire week-- lodging, meals, transportation, PGPs, and take-home materials are included! Learn more and register at the event page: https://web.indmaa.org/events/BLAST2026%20%20Bringing%20Life%20to%20Aggregates%20a%20Summer%20Teachers%20Institute-7633/details

The Learning Lab is BACK! Starting June 16, our experiential learning center will be open to the public from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month.

Our Grand Reopening celebration will be on Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. There will be games, crafts, and fossil fun for all ages and abilities. Parking is free in new location at 5001 N. State Road 37 Business, 47404. Details and directions at https://igws.iu.edu/learninglab. Hope to see you there!

Join our team!

The IGWS is seeking to hire a part-time Sediment Core Laboratory Assistant to help with core description, core photography, sampling, and lab analyses for a mapping project in Hendricks County.

This part-time position is for an average 10-25 hours/week and is *limited* to students enrolled at Indiana University. Apply at https://jobs.iu.edu with the Job ID 318908.

Join Sycamore Land Trust and Indiana Geological and Water Survey to help monitor the health of local streams through Hoosier Riverwatch, and contribute valuable data that supports Indiana’s waterways! 💧

Volunteers will wade into streams to collect and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates and conduct chemical water quality tests, helping track seasonal changes in stream health at two protected properties along Beanblossom Creek. We’ll also discuss how geology, land use, and forest cover influence water conditions.

We have two Stream Survey events open for registration in April:

Hoosier RiverWatch Survey at Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve
Wednesday, April 15, 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve (Monroe County)

Hoosier RiverWatch Survey at Powell Preserve
Thursday, April 16, 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Powell Preserve (Monroe County)

Registration is required. Sign up at sycamorelandtrust.org/events

This event is cohosted by Polly Root Sturgeon of the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. It is free for Sycamore members and a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family for non-members. Start or renew your annual membership by donating $40 or more at sycamorelandtrust.org/donate

All monitoring supplies are provided through a grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and no prior experience is required. Participants should be comfortable standing and walking in shallow water.

Hoosier Riverwatch is a program of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Office of Water Quality, Watershed Assessment and Planning Branch. The program began in 1996 to increase public awareness of water quality issues and concerns by training volunteers to monitor stream water quality.

Join our team! The IGWS is seeking to hire two interns for the summer Paul Potter Internship Program.

Interns will conduct luminescence geochronology laboratory work or a hydrologic data analysis project with IGWS research scientists. The positions are for up to 10 weeks of work between May 26, 2026 - July 31, 2026 and lodging is provided on the IU Bloomington campus.

Applications are open to *ALL* high school, undergraduate, or master's-level students with an interest in Indiana geoscience.

To learn more and apply, visit https://jobs.iu.edu. The Job ID number is 318831.

Our friends at Visit Bloomington submitted the Limestone Campus walking tour brochure to the Indiana Tourism Awards and it won best brochure. Woohoo!

The IGWS and Visit Bloomington updated our popular walking tour last spring with an expanded brochure, accessible routes, and virtual tour with additional archival photographs. Guided versions of the tour will begin later this spring.

Pick up the self-guided brochure at the Bloomington Visitors Center or find it virtually at https://doi.org/10.14434/ijes.v7i1.41087.

Several hours per week, standing along a narrow table in a dusty garage, three to four IGWS staff members are working to reassemble “the biggest, weirdest jigsaw puzzle you’ve ever seen.”

Read more about our core reboxing efforts to make the IGWS Core Research and Teaching Repository more accessible at https://igws.iu.edu/news/story/2026-corereboxing.