REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XIX 



SCOPE AND PLAN OF THE SURVEY. 



The law creating this Survey designated it a "Geological and Miner - 

 alogical Survey," and its plain intent is that investigations and reports 

 on the mineral and other natural resources of the State shall be its 

 chief object. 



Being in hearty accord with the tenor of the law, and believing the 

 function of a State survey to be primarily that of economic geology, 

 immediately upon my appointment as State Geologist I began the or- 

 ganization of the Survey upon this basis. 



By economic geology I mean that side of geologic investigation 

 which pertains to the search for, and description of, all materials occur- 

 ring or being a part of the earth's structure, which can be made of use 

 or profit to man. I do not by any means wish to imply that there is 

 or can be, any antagonism between what is here termed economic geol- 

 ogy and what is sometimes denominated scientific geology, for it is all 

 one study, and there is not, nor can there be, any economic geology 

 which has not its foundation upon a clear understanding of the science. 

 I do mean, however, that the economic is that part of the science in 

 which the people are most decidedly interested, and that the function 

 of a State survey is to bring to light all possible facts regarding this 

 branch of geology. This should include not only a statement of the 

 how and where of the occurrence of useful materials, but also, when 

 necessary and possible, a brief description of the manner in which they 

 can be brought into use, simply and to the best advantage. Thus 

 there are many of the rare minerals in the Central Mineral District, 

 hitherto regarded as almost valueless, except as specimens for the cab- 

 inet of the mineralogist or in some museum, which, if found in suffi- 

 cient quantity, are of value for certain purposes. It is the place of a 

 State survey to discuss this, in order that the people may be apprised 

 of their value. It is not enough to say that there is a limestone, and a 

 clay near it, which might make good cement. Analyses should be 

 made and the requisite quantities for the mixture shown ; a state- 

 ment made of the available fuel supply, and any other points bearing 

 immediately upon the manufacture of the cement. So, too, the pottery 

 clays must be studied, analyzed, described, and the particular kind of 

 ware to which they are best adapted made known. In the deposits of 

 ores and coal there are found many problems of a scientific nature, 

 growing out of their geologic surroundings and bearing directly upon 



