Geological Survey of Alabama

GSA biologists were grateful for the opportunity to assist Alabama Power and other partners with surveys for endangered bats this summer.

‘Bat Blitz’ mission is to find, protect endangered bats in Alabama - Alabama News Center In the midst of the deep, thickly wooded forests of Alabama, it’s possible to occasionally spy a real-life “Bat Man.” Instead of fighting crime, these bat men and women – all trained experts on bats – take part in a “Bat Blitz,” an organized mission to study bat populations across the ...

Economic geology in the news:

The GSA collaborated with Auburn University to support Auburn's research on the Hartselle Sandstone oil sands.
--For more information on Auburn's research, see https://wire.auburn.edu/content/cosam/2025/07/31930-grieco-petroleum-research-fund-grant.php?property=cosam&utm_source=auburnu-cosam&utm_medium=web&aupage=https://www.auburn.edu/cosam/

More on the Hartselle and GSA's research (outside of Auburn):
--The Mississippian-age Hartselle Sandstone in northwestern Alabama was previously estimated to contain 7.5 billion barrels of oil, including approximately 350 million barrels within 50 feet of the surface (from GSA bulletin 111, 1987). More recently, and due to the increased interest in unconventional energy resources in the U.S. (including oil sands), the GSA used ground penetrating radar to help determine the extent of this resource in the Hartselle. This data will be used to update the current reservoir model and reserve estimates of the hydrocarbons within the Hartselle Sandstone. For more information, please visit the GSA’s webpage at, https://www.gsa.state.al.us/gsa/energy/og/oilsands

Auburn chemists unlock hidden potential in petroleum molecules With support from the ACS Petroleum Research Fund, COSAM researchers are uncovering how tar-like petroleum molecules called asphaltenes could power future breakthroughs in electronics and energy storage.

GSA botantist M’Kayla Motley proudly represented our agency at the 2025 Botany Conference in Palm Springs, CA, this past week showcasing the results of the Ecological Zone Modeling of the Cumberland Plateau—a collaborative project between the Geological Survey of Alabama, the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, and the folks with Environmental Modeling and Fire Ecology out of Asheville, NC.

Her poster highlighted key findings and methods used to model ecological zones across the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains. It was accompanied by an outreach guide, which features P1 and P2 birds, P1 plants, and common pollinators identified within the Cumberland Plateau region of Alabama. The guide is designed to inform stakeholders, private landowners, and policymakers about the project and the Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) relevant to this site-specific region.

While the project is ongoing, GSA and partners are continuing to refine the models and finalize deliverables.

Special thanks to Alabama’s legislative representatives for securing state-allocated funds that made this project possible.

Did you know that Alabama is home to a variety of cave and karst-specific animals? Some of these include animals that are specially adapted to live in temperatures, water chemistry, and decreased light characteristic of carbonate springs and caves. One such animal is the Alabama cave shrimp. The GSA has been monitoring a population of the endangered Alabama Cave Shrimp in Bobcat and Matthews Caves near Huntsville for several years in efforts to protect these animals and their habitats. Surveys of caves in north Alabama led to the discovery of several new populations of the Alabama Cave Shrimp and provided valuable records of other cave-dwelling species. You can read more about this very rare variety of shrimp on the National Speleological Society’s webpage - https://caves.org/caves/meet-the-cave-shrimp-2025-usa-cave-animal-of-the-year/ Happy Cave Week!

Photo: Palaemonias alabamae, the Alabama Cave Shrimp. Photo courtesy of Dave Dieter, Huntsville Times

Happy Cave Week! Much of Alabama is underlain by limestone, the rock type most associated with caves and sinkholes, forming a natural system and topography called karst. Karst is an important natural resource in Alabama, as the caves, sinkholes, and carbonate springs provide unique and special habitats for many rare wildlife such as cave salamanders, bats, cave shrimp, and spring salamanders. Alkaline soils developed on limestone further provide rich nutrients to specific types of plants, including wildflowers, trees, and agricultural crops. Limestones (as karst aquifers) in Alabama also hold an important and unique part of the state's groundwater resources, including water supplies for individuals, municipalities, and agriculture.

You can learn more about caves and karst at some of the Alabama state parks. Tours of Cathedral Caverns (near Guntersville) and Rickwood Caverns (near Birmingham) provide a great cool, outdoor activity on a hot day. Excellent way to observe the karst geology underground too!

For more information, see Rickwood Caverns page https://www.alapark.com/parks/rickwood-caverns-state-park and Cathedral Caverns page https://www.alapark.com/parks/cathedral-caverns-state-park