1921 U.S. Geological Survey of Cook Inlet Oil Fields, Alaska

Hydrocarbons along the Alaska Coast.

A colorful map of the southwestern portion of the Cook Inlet in Alaska produced in 1921 by the U.S. Geological Survey. This period saw a thorough exploration of the Alaskan coast for large-scale oil and gas deposits, which were eventually discovered and exploited in the Cook Inlet Basin several decades later.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes a portion of the Cook Inlet between Tuxedni Bay and Iliamna Bay, southwest of Anchorage. Color shading is used to distinguish different types of rock, which are explained and organized at left according to geologic era. Elevation is shown by contour lines and marked in feet at peaks. Bays, coastal points, hills, mountains, waterways, and abandoned oil wells are noted.

Oil and Gas Production in the Cook Inlet Basin

This map was produced during an intermediary period, following the initial oil and gas explorations of the early 20th century, but before a second wave of exploration and limited commercial-scale production began in the mid-20th century. As was the case elsewhere along the coast of Alaska, oil and gas seeps were discovered here in the first decade of the century (especially around Oil Bay here) but were not able to sustain large-scale production. Further explorations were made in the 1950s and 1960s which likewise did not result in hoped-for production, though some geologists believe that the region may still be able to sustain commercial oil and gas production. Further into the Cook Inlet, just north and east of the area shown here, large-scale gas and oil deposits have been exploited since the 1950s.

Publication History and Census

This map was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1921, borrowing topographical information from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, to accompany the text 'Preliminary Report on Petroleum in Alaska' by G. C. Martin that appeared in the survey's Bulletin. It is only independently cataloged among the holdings of the University of Calgary and the Sorbonne Université, while the entire report and the full 1921 issue of the Bulletin are more widely distributed.

Cartographers

The United States Geological Survey (March 3, 1879 - present), commonly abbreviated USGS, is an American federal scientific bureau and civilian mapping agency within the Department of the Interior, established in Washington, D.C., and subsequently headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Congress created the Survey to classify public lands and investigate the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain, replacing separate western investigations with a permanent scientific organization. Its first director, Clarence King (1842 - 1901), organized geological investigations and recruited experienced scientists and topographers from earlier federal surveys. Under his successor, John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902), director from 1881 to 1894, topographic mapping expanded from support for individual geological investigations into a nationwide undertaking. Congressional authorization in 1882 to continue preparation of a geological map of the United States extended the Survey's work into the eastern states, while systematic topographic mapping received authorization in 1884. Henry Gannett (1846 - 1914), the Survey's chief geographer, helped establish enduring methods and standards for this work. Its topographic quadrangles represented terrain through contour lines alongside drainage, settlements, roads, and other features, furnishing a common geographic foundation for scientific investigation and practical land use. During the 20th century, the Survey's mapping evolved from field surveying and compilation toward aerial photography, photogrammetry, and digital geographic information systems. A formal program begun in 1947 to map the conterminous United States at 1:24,000 scale culminated in nationwide coverage in 1992, comprising more than 55,000 maps. The Survey also produced geological and thematic maps and assembled national geographic information. In 2009 it introduced US Topo, a digitally generated successor to its traditional topographic quadrangles. Its continuing cartographic work includes The National Map, digital topographic products, and public access to historical quadrangles, alongside broader investigations of water, ecosystems, mineral and energy resources, and natural hazards.   Further Details...

The Office of the Coast Survey (1807 - present), founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, to produce accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first two superintendents defined the spirit of the Coast Survey. The Coast Survey's first superintendent was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under Hassler's direction, from 1816 to 1843, the Coast Survey established its ideological and scientific foundations. These included the use of the most advanced techniques and most sophisticated equipment, along with unstinting attention to detail. Hassler devised a labor-intensive triangulation system that divided the entire coast into a series of enormous triangles. These were then subdivided into smaller triangulation units, which were individually surveyed. No one had ever attempted this exacting technique on such a massive scale. As a result, Hassler and the Coast Survey under his leadership earned a reputation for uncompromising dedication to accuracy and excellence. Unfortunately, despite being a masterful surveyor, Hassler was abrasive and politically unpopular, and Congress cut funding for the Coast Survey twice. Nonetheless, Hassler led the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, when Alexander Dallas Bache, Benjamin Franklin's great-grandson, took the helm. Bache was fully dedicated to the principles established by Hassler, but proved more politically astute and successfully lobbied Congress to fund the endeavor generously. Under A. D. Bache's leadership, the Coast Survey completed its most important work. During his long tenure with the Coast Survey, from 1843 to 1865, Bache steadfastly advocated American science and navigation and, in fact, founded the American Academy of Sciences. Benjamin Pierce succeeded Bache and ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson, Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) to accommodate both topographic and nautical surveys. Today, the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Geodetic Survey.   Further Details...

Source

Martin, G., Preliminary Report on Petroleum in Alaska, (U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 719, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office) 1921.    

Condition

Good. Wear along original fold lines. Verso repairs to fold separations and at fold intersections. Light offsetting.

References

OCLC 150513304, 493296240.