Map Navigation
zoom to an area
zoom to a location or area
(county, coordinates, etc...)
View Other Ky Maps
zoom to other KY maps (same extent)
Map Data
quick identify & highlight feature(s) at a point

identify all data at a point
identify all point data in an area
draw a rectangle and ID all available
data in the area
Zoom in past 1:500K to activate.
identify features in a buffer

identify photo/outcrop

identify coordinates at a point

measure line

measure area

erase graphics

print map
Open map in a new window for printing. Map size will be the same as the viewed size in the map pane.
print pdf map
Save map to a PDF document for printing. Map size will be the same as the viewed size in the map pane.
Map Printing:
NOTE: For best printing results, use the latest version of Internet Explorer (v. 9), Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome browsers. In older versions of Internet Explorer (8.0 and below), the topography or imagery may not print. You will need to either upgrade your browser (if using Internet Explorer v.8 or below), use a different browser (Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome), or use your computer's screen capture functionality.
print legend (opens in a new window)
Open the legend in a new window for printing
NOTE: "pull" on the right side of the pane to resize.
What is this? This tool allows you to search the Kentucky Geological Survey database for geologic descriptions from KGS publications, maps, and field notes and highlight those units on the map.

Many of these descriptions were derived from the more than 700 geologic quadrangle maps that cover the entire state of Kentucky. The "hits" which correlate to the 24K Geologic Formations (see the "Layers" tab to turn these on) are highlighted on the map. Queries run at "zoomed out" scales (1:500,000 and smaller), will display a point for the location (this is the center point of the 1:24K formation polygon). When zoomed in to large scales, the polygon outline will be highlighted. A link to the full report from your search parameters is also given (which may yield results from other reports as well).

To get started, zoom into an area of interest, enter your favorite geologic term ("oolite" or "fissile"?) into the Search Term field, and hit the SEARCH button below...

Some tips:
  • Broad search terms at large extents (e.g. statewide) can yield very large results, and will dramatically slow down this tool and you may get script errors. To alleviate this, use specific terms and search limits (you can limit by geologic age and even specific stratigraphic units) and/or zoom to an area of interest.
  • When zoomed out to scales smaller than 1:500,000 (larger areas), results are shown as points on the map. To highlight the formation polygons, zoom in and rerun the query.
  • Set off compound terms (e.g. "oolitic limestone") with quotes, and separate multiple terms with quotes for each term.
This tool is still in the development stage. We are working on improving the results speed, and adding other features which can be queried (wells and other geologic features).
Search Term(s):
Search limits:
Limit results to the current viewed area (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**)
**for best results, zoom into an area of interest and query, or use very specific terms and search limits
 only search PRIMARY LITHOLOGY descriptions
Limit by Geologic Age (more info):
hold the "ctrl" key to make multiple selections
 
(opens in a new window)
Geologic Units
map unit colors
Symbols
map symbols
Symbols are updated as layers are turned on/off and as they become visible by zooming in/out.
non-coal beds
line symbology:
 bed
 concealed - bed
 secondary - bed
 projected - bed
 strip mine outline
color symbology:
 chert
 clay
 dolomite
 limestone
 limestone & shale
 sandstone
 shale
 siderite
 siltstone
Note: Click the icon to view the ArcGIS Server service info and metadata for a layer below. You can also bring these layers into your own GIS (e.g. ArcGIS) by following the instructions at this link.
Base Layers
These 4 layers are opaque and below all layers.
Adjust all other layer transparency below:
  • Basemap (roads, rivers, etc) Transparency
    • Quick Map Layouts
    These are frequently used map layouts. Clicking a layout button will refresh this page to turn on the relevant layers, and zoom to the same viewed extent:
      more info about the geologic map layout
      more info about the orignal GQ map image layout
      more info about the dominant lithology layout
      more info about the karst potential map layout
      more info about the petroleum geology layout
      more info about the coal information layout
    Customize Map
    Geology  
    transparency
    Data Layers
    Note: data layers may take a few moments to display
    Coal:
      
      
    Oil and Gas:
      
      
      
      
    Water:
      
      
    Economic:
      
    Other:
      
      
      
      
    Raster:
      
      
    • View geologic descriptions, images, or data
      for the map extent
    • Large areas may yield slow response times
    Descriptions
    Images
    Data
    Scale:




    This is the map dialog window. You should never see this text.
    This is the map dialog window. You should never see this text.