Abstract: Colored Paper--Geological Maps Through History

Peter Lessing

Geological maps, regarded as the dynamic force in geology, illustrate the distribution, configuration, succession, and interpretation of rock units at the earth's surface. Their origins can be traced back to 1150 B.C., but the modern geological map only emerged in the early 1800s, primarily because fossils were recognized for correlation and age purposes; geology became a widely accepted academic discipline; chromolithography was developed; topographic base maps became available; and there was near agreement on stratigraphic and structural concepts. An examination of their history exposes plagiarism, raw speculation, political back-stabbing, old ideas somehow very modern, repeated repetition, major geological advances, and major geological blunders.

The oldest geological map in the world is the Turin Papyrus (circa 1150 B.C.). The oldest cross section is credited to Strachey (1719). The oldest map of North America was completed by the Frenchman, Guettard (1752). The earliest known colored map is by Charpentier (1778). The first map of the U.S. printed in the U.S. is Maclure's (1809). The first recognition of fossils for correlation was Smith's map of England (1815). The first to use modern stratigraphic names in the U.S. was Hall (1843). The first published map of Virginia [and West Virginia] was by Rogers (1874). The earliest known use of contour lines in the U.S. was by Hayden (1878) on his Yellowstone map. And the first publication of the West Virginia Geological Survey [naturally, a geological map] was produced by Morris and hite (1899).

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90950©1996 AAPG GCAGS 46th Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas