A complete county atlas provides information about the geology and groundwater resources of a county, including the groundwater quality, quantity, and sensitivity to pollution. Most atlases are produced in two parts.
Part A - Geologic Atlas
The Minnesota Geological Survey produces the Part A atlas, which includes the geology, geologic layering, sand distribution, bedrock surface, and depth to bedrock for a specific county.
For an in-depth study of Minnesota geology and the County Geologic Atlas Program, see the Geologic Atlas User's Guide: Using Geologic Maps and Databases for Resource Management and Planning (27 pages).
Part B - Groundwater Atlas
After Part A is completed, the DNR produces the Part B atlas, which includes maps and reports identifying the direction of groundwater flow, aquifer properties, groundwater chemistry, and pollution sensitivity of aquifers. Older atlases include the groundwater information in Part A.
For a quick prep for reading the groundwater atlases, see the Groundwater Atlas User Guide (8 pages).
Part B Status
Click to enlarge
| County, series # | Part A (MGS) geology | Part B (DNR) groundwater | Other |
| Aitkin | in progress | future start | |
| Anoka, C-27 | 2013 | 2016 | |
| Becker, C-42 | 2016 | in progress | |
| Benton, C-23 | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Blue Earth, C-26 | 2011 | 2016 | |
| Brown, C-37 | 2016 | 2020 | |
| Carlton, C-19 | 2009 | 2011 | |
| Carver, C-21 | 2009 | 2014 | |
| Cass, C-43 | 2018 | in progress | |
| Chisago, C-22 | 2010 | 2014 | |
| Clay, C-29 | 2014 | 2018 | |
| Crow Wing, C-16 | 2004 | 2007 | |
| Dodge, C-50 | 2019 | in progress | |
| Dakota, C-06 | 1990 | included in Part A | |
| Dakota update | in progress | in progress | |
| Fillmore, C-08 | 1995 | 1996 | Part C: 1995 |
| Goodhue, C-12 | 1998 | 2003 | |
| Hennepin, C-45 | (1989 archived C-04) | in progress (C-04 included in Part A) | |
| Houston, C-33 | 2014 | in progress | |
| Hubbard, C-41 | 2018 | in progress | |
| Isanti, C-44 | 2017 | in progress | |
| Kanabec, C-38 | 2016 | 2020 | |
| Kandiyohi, C46 | 2019 | future start | |
| Lake | in progress, preliminary files available | to be determined | |
| McLeod, C-20 | 2009 | 2013 | |
| Meeker, C-35 | 2015 | 2019 | |
| Morrison, C-31 | 2014 | 2019 | |
| Mower, C-11 | 1998 | 2002 | RI-50: 2000 |
| Nicollet, C-25 | 2011 | 2016 | |
| Nobles, C-48 | 2020 | future start | |
| Olmsted, C-03 | 1988 | included in Part A | |
| Olmsted update, C-49 | 2020 | in progress | |
| Pennington | in progress | future start | |
| Pine, C-13 | 2001 | 2004 | RI-60: 2002 |
| Pope, C-15 | 2003 | 2006 | |
| Ramsey, C-07 | 1992 | included in Part A | |
| Redwood, C-36 | 2016 | 2019 | |
| Renville, C-28 | 2013 | 2017 | |
| Rice, C-09 | 1995 | 1997 | |
| Rock, C-47 | 2020 | future start | |
| St. Louis | in progress, preliminary files available | to be determined | |
Scott, C-17 | (1982 archived C-01) | included in Part A (C-01 included in Part A) | OFR 08-02: 2008 |
| Sherburne, C-32 | 2013 | 2017 | |
| Sibley, C-24 | 2011 | 2017 | |
| Stearns, C-10 | 1995 | 1998 | Part C: 1996 included in Part A link |
| Steele, C-53 | in progress | future start | |
| Todd, C-18 | 2007 | 2010 | |
| Wabasha, C-14 | 2001 | 2005 | RI-59: 2002 |
| Wadena, C-40 | 2016 | in progress | |
Washington, C-39 | (1990 archived C-05) | (C-05 included in Part A) | |
Winona, C-34 | (1984 archived C-02) | (C-02 included in Part A) | |
| Wright, C-30 | 2013 | 2018 |