Geological Survey Notes 50th Anniversary

From a one-person operation in a small room at the University of Utah, the Utah Geological Survey has grown in its 50 years to a 70-person state agency working on millions of dollars worth of resource development, mapping, geologic hazards and education, water resource, archaeological, and paleontological projects.

Originally called the Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey in an act of the Utah Legislature in 1949, the UGS had a budget of $25,000 for its first biennium – or barely enough to cover expenses and the salary of its first director, Arthur L. Crawford. The Survey was made a part of the State School of Mines and Mineral Industries at the U of U.

Crawford immediately set out to stabilize the Survey's revenues by soliciting manuscripts to publish on scientific investigations, maps, and reports. The state legislature, in creating the UGMS, specifically stipulated that the agency could augment its appropriation by selling publications.

Crawford also oversaw the creation of the Geologic Sample Library, which today houses thousands of samples representing the exploration and development of Utah's mineral, oil, gas, and geothermal industries.

Crawford was succeeded in 1961 by William P. Hewitt, who refocused the Survey's activities on economic, rather than scientific, geology. Under his direction, the Survey began to aggressively pursue the collection and distribution of information regarding Utah's mineral resources. He pushed for a greater understanding of the economic potential of the Great Salt Lake, created a geologic hazards section to study the seismic activity of the Wasatch Front, began addressing environmental issues and land-ownership controversies, and oversaw the transfer of the Survey to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

In 1974, Hewitt retired and was succeeded by Donald T. McMillan, a mining geologist who shepherded the Survey into its new incarnation as a state agency. He continued its activities in identifying and completing a dependable inventory of the state's mineral resources. He also strengthened the geologic hazards section by assessing earthquake risk throughout the state and beginning mitigation studies.

Genevieve Atwood succeeded Hewitt in 1981 and created a mapping section to prepare much more accurate and detailed geologic quadrangle maps of the state. She bolstered the economic geology program, promoting investigative efforts into tar sands, mineral resources, saline studies, oil fields, and coal projects, and made geologic information more readily available and accessible.

Lee Allison took over the agency in 1989 and began aggressively pursuing research grant money to fund scientific investigations into oil, gas, and tar-sand resource exploration and development. Allison also expanded the size and scope of publication sales, adding such popular products as U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps, books and pamphlets from other state agencies, and digital map products from other states. He also clarified the UGS's mission on the eve of the 21st century: acting with reliability and integrity to make Utah richer and safer by generating, interpreting, preserving, and distributing geological, paleontological, archaeological, and paleoecological information.