Bureau of Economic Geology - Texas Geosciences University of Texas at Austin

Established in 1909, the Bureau of Economic Geology in the Jackson School of Geosciences is the oldest and second-largest organized research unit at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to functioning as the State Geological Survey of Texas, the Bureau conducts research focusing on the intersection of energy, the environment, and the economy, where significant advances are being made tackling tough problems globally. The Bureau partners with federal, state, and local agencies, academic institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, and foundations to conduct high-quality research and disseminate the results to the scientific and engineering communities as well as to the broad public.

Bureau researchers spearhead basic and applied research projects around the world; among them, research in energy resources and economics, coastal and environmental studies, land resources and use, geologic and mineral mapping, hydrogeology, geochemistry, and subsurface nanotechnology. The Bureau provides technical, educational, advisory, and publicly accessible information via a myriad of media forms to Texas, the nation, and the world.

Talented people are the Bureau of Economic Geology's formula for success. Our staff of over 250 includes scientists, engineers, economists, and graduate students, representing 27 countries, often working in integrated, multi-disciplinary research teams. The Bureau's facilities and state-of-the-art equipment are world class, and include more than fifteen individual laboratories hosting researchers investigating everything from nanoparticles to shale porosity and permeability. The Bureau also maintains three major well core research and storage facilities, in Houston, Austin, and Midland–together believed to be the largest archive of subsurface rock material in the world, as well as an extensive wireline log library.