1968 Soviet Geology Ministry and Nalivkin Geological Map of the U.S.S.R.

This is a 1968 Dimitri Vasilievich Nalivkin geological map of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R). The map depicts the region from Poland to the Pacific Ocean and from the Arctic Ocean to Iran, China, and Japan. Strikingly beautiful and meticulously detailed, this enormous map garnered international attention when the first edition was issued in 1957, due to the fact that information of this nature regarding the Soviet Union was not readily available. 117 different geologic formations are indicated, with each formation illustrated by a different color. Fourteen different color families are utilized to differentiate between different types of formations, while shades within each color family are employed to illustrate related, but not identical, formations. Each different color region is labeled with the corresponding symbol, which matches the symbols in the key situated along the bottom border.

Major cities and towns are identified and labeled throughout the Soviet Union, including Moscow, Prague, and Minsk. Roads are illustrated and labeled, along with rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges. The Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas are all illustrated, with different shades of blue indicating water depth, a system that is also used in the oceans.

This map was created by Dimitri Vasilievich Nalivkin and printed by the Ministry of Geology in 1968. This map is held in several institutional collections, but is exceedingly rare on the market.