Abstract
IT is now about a year since the Congress of the United States took seriously in hand the question of the national scientific surveys and made a complete reorganisation of them, consolidating the geological work into one general Geological Survey of the United States, under Mr. Clarence King as director. Some time had necessarily to elapse before much fruit could be seen from the new tree. It was especially needful in the first place to justify the large expenditure of money required for the organisation, by showing that not merely pure science, but the industrial and commercial interests of the country were materially aided by the Survey. Consequently while ordinary geological surveying has not been neglected, the chief strength of the staff has been expended upon economic geology, and more especially on the deposits of iron, lead, silver, and gold. Some of the great mining districts of the West have been very carefully explored, and the results will be embodied in the Annual Report. It is understood that Mr. King's general plan is to arrange his forces in two divisions, one charged with the investigation of the economic geology, the other with general geology or the geological map. The second division will no doubt be mainly engaged in the Western States and Territories, wich will be parcelled out into large districts each under a special officer. Thus there will probably be a corps placed on the Pacific slope, another on the Great Basin, a third on the Plateau country, and a fourth in the eastern mountain ranges, or, Roeky Mountains proper. But besides this general distribution of the staff there is an intention, we believe, to devote attention to special problems further east, and, in a most liberal and thoroughly scientific spirit, to employ for their study the best geologists who can be found in these regions to undertake the duty.
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GEIKIE, A. Geological Survey of the United States . Nature 21, 612–613 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/021612b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/021612b0