Atlases
The US Geological Survey published three atlases to accompany reports produced to understand the resources in the West. They span the period of time over which the Survey had three directors: Clarence King (1879-1881), John Wesley Powell (1881-1894) and Charles Doolittle Walcott (1894-1907). The reports detailed the geology and mining at the Comstock Lode, Nevada (1882), the Quicksilver deposits, California (1887), and the Aspen District, Colorado (1898). Prior to these reports, Clarence King participated in the 40th Parallel Survey as the "geologist-in-charge." The survey traversed through northeastern California, Nevada, and into eastern Wyoming. These reports and atlases provided the government with unparalleled knowledge of the rich resources available in the newly opening western states and territories.
Fortieth Parallel Survey
40th Parallel, Mining Industry
- Volume 1: Systematic Geology
- Volume 2: Descriptive Geology
- Volume 3: Mining Industry
- Volume 4: Palaeontology (Parts 1 and 2), Ornithology (Part 3)
- Volume 5: Botany
- Volume 6: Microscopical Petrography
- Volume 7: Odontornithes
The Comstock Lode and the Washoe District
Geology of the Comstock Lode (1882)
The Geology of the Quicksilver Deposits of the Pacific Slopes
Geology of the Quicksilver Deposits (1887)
The Geology of the Aspen District, Colorado
Geology of the Aspen District (1898)
Pocket Mining Atlas (1880)
This little mining atlas was published in 1880 by the Engineering and Mining Journal in New York. Western mining predominates with 24 of the 27 maps of the west showing detailed mining claims. At the end of the atlas there is a note by the publisher stating that any of the maps can be supplied for any use and that additional maps will be provided in "the forthcoming edition." It is unclear if there was another edition published.