GEOLOGY IN NATIONAL AND EVERYDAY LIFE l 



By George R. Mansfield 

 U. S. Geological Survey 



INTRODUCTION 



To a surprisingly large number of people the word "geology" sug- 

 gests nothing definite or practical, nothing associated with national or 

 everyday life. Nevertheless, geology is concerned with the materials 

 man uses in building his houses and great industrial plants. It deals 

 with the metals of which his car is composed and with the fuels with 

 which he drives his car or heats his house. It has to do with the sea- 

 soning and preservation of his food, with the water he drinks, and with 

 the scenery which greets his eyes every morning. It considers the 

 destructive hazards that form part of his environment in many parts 

 of the world, such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic activity, and is 

 concerned as well with the gentler moods of nature that calm his spirit 

 and inspire his imagination. 



Minerals enter into all phases of our modern civilization. Geology 

 deals with the occurrence and distribution of minerals and with the 

 laws and forces that tend to create or destroy them. Industry must 

 know where suitable supplies of minerals for its needs may be obtained 

 and what conditions are imposed by nature on their successful recovery 

 and exploitation. Federal, State, and local governments must know 

 whether mineral supplies, within their respective jurisdictions, are of 

 suitable quality or adequate to meet the needs of their citizens. They 

 must have information on the geologic conditions affecting the sites 

 of constructional works, such as dams, reservoirs, bridges, and the 

 foundations of public buildings; on the problems of water supply and 

 sanitation; and on the wise use and conservation of their mineral re- 

 sources. The individual must earn his living and gain his inspiration 

 amid surroundings from which geology constantly speaks to him. 

 It seems pertinent, therefore, to consider in some detail the relation 

 between geology and our national and everyday life. 



1 Address of the retiring vice president and chairman of the section on geology, American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, Indianapolis, December 31, 1937. Published by permission of the Director, 

 U. S. Geological Survey. Reprinted by permission from Science, vol. 87, No. 2247, January 21, 1938. 



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