Welcome to the Geologic Mapping Forum

GMF: At the GMF, ~100 geological map authors, program managers, and allied professionals will discuss on-going and future of geological mapping in the US. We focus on geology, rather than funding or GIS which are better covered in other meetings. The US Congress and States have accelerated needed mapping, leading to important applications and exciting research. 

The GMF organizer is UMN Professor Harvey Thorleifson, who is coordinating with NCGMP Coordinator Chris Swezey of USGS, and AASG and USGS colleagues. In-person meetings were held in 2018 and 2019, and monthly winter online meetings have been held since onset of the pandemic.

Here are past abstracts: 2018, 2019, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, and 2023/2024; and the 2018 meeting summary. Videos for most online sessions are available due to speaker consent. Resources are here. We will plan for online meetings over the winter of 25/26, and an in-person meeting in Denver in 2026.

GMF'25: Our next in-person meeting will be in Minneapolis on September 9-11, 2025. The meeting will be hosted by University of Minnesota on the UMN campus.

LOCATION: The meeting will be near the Mississippi River, at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs on the West Bank campus, in the Humphrey School Conference Center at 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Parking across the street in the 19th Ave Ramp will cost $13/day – enter on Riverside Ave just west of 19th, or if there is space in Lot 94, which you will see on the West Bank campus map; the daily rate there is $6. Minneapolis weather in mid-September will typically be a high of 75°F or 24°C, with a chance of rain.

TRAVEL: The meeting site and conference hotel are a 5-minute walk from the West Bank train station on the Green Line. You can take the Blue Line train from the airport for a couple dollars, and change trains at US Bank stadium. Your travel will be eased by many options for flights to MSP airport.

HOTEL: The conference hotel is the Courtyard Minneapolis Downtown at 1500 S Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454. To book your hotel room at the $154 meeting rate, please click here or phone 1-877-699-3216, and cite the Geological Mapping Forum Group Block, before August 18th. To add a night at a reduced rate before or after the meeting, please call or email David ‘Dee’ Kurz at the hotel – 612-638-4671. Additional hotels are located along the train lines and elsewhere.

REGISTRATION: The fee will be $300; or $325 after August 18th. Included are Monday evening food and soft drinks, as well as light breakfast, breaks, and box lunch for three days. Refunds will be offered for cancellations before the end of August. Registration is here.

FIELD TRIP: A free tour of Twin Cities geology will be held from 1 PM to 4:30 PM on Monday, September 8th. To register, please email Harvey Thorleifson.

PROGRAM: The meeting will commence with registration and a reception at the hotel with light food and drinks on Monday from 5 to 7 PM, followed by conference sessions from 830 AM Tuesday until 2:30 PM Thursday. The program will be posted here.

ABSTRACTS: Plenary, concurrent session, and poster presenters are asked to submit a 1 to 2-page abstract, with indicated preference for oral or poster, to thorleif@umn.edu before August 18th 2025 or ASAP thereafter. The abstract guidelines are here.

PLENARIES: Invited keynotes will be presented in half hour slots in plenaries with no concurrent sessions on Monday at 830, 1030, and at 3, Wednesday at 830 and 1, and Thursday at 1030; the closing plenary will be Thursday at 1-230. Plenaries will be broadcast as hybrid sessions; the meeting link will be provided upon request sent to thorleif@umn.edu. 

PRESENTATIONS: All participants are urged to present a 20-minute talk in a concurrent session, or a max 4' x 8' poster. 

INFO: For info, please contact Harvey Thorleifson at University of Minnesota. Hope to see you at GMF’25!