Map: Prepared by the US Geological Survey and the Arabian American Oil Company under the joint sponsorship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Finance and National Economy, and the US Department of State. Map 1-270 B-1. Scale 1:2,000,000.

ARABIAN PENINSULA.

Edité par Washington, DC: U.S. Geological Survey 1958

A propos de cet article

First edition of this impressively sized and important map showing the entire peninsula, including modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, and was the work of a team lead by the distinguished geologist Glen F. Brown, whose trailblazing work on surface geology, with its emphasis on water resources, minerals, and oil, pertains to this day. Brown (1911-2001) cut his teeth in mineral and coal investigations in South China and the Philippines and ground-water investigations in Mississippi and Colorado, the latter mostly concerned with supplying water to military installations. In response to a request from Ibn Sa'ud for assistance from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Brown was selected in 1944 to investigate water supplies in the Saudi Arabian desert. He "arrived in Saudi Arabia early in 1945 and joined a mission sponsored by the US Foreign Economic Administration to study possibilities for agricultural development in central Arabia. As part of the mission [Brown] carried out a detailed investigation of the geologic formations in the Al Kharj district and identified substantial ground-water resources in buried aquifers. His report on the results of that investigation was very enthusiastically received by Saudi officials. [Brown returned to Saudi Arabia at the request of Ibn Sa'ud] to conduct reconnaissance geologic mapping, mineral evaluation, and water-resource studies in the western and central parts of the kingdom. The mapping was carried forward from 1950 to 1958 by [Brown] with USGS and Saudi associates and extended to the entire Arabian Peninsula in cooperation with the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), as well as to organizations and companies of other countries in the peninsula. This resulted in a remarkable series of bilingual geologic and geographic maps of Saudi Arabia at a scale of 1:500,000, and a geologic and geographic map of the entire Arabian Peninsula at a scale of 1:2,000,000, all of which were published by the USGS. These maps, together with reports on the geology, mineral deposits, and water resources prepared by [Brown] and his associates, providing the basis for Saudi Arabia to undertake a major national resource exploration and development program" (Geological Society of America obituary). As stated in the legend, "this map has been prepared as a base for a geologic map in preparation". This point is elucidated in the official report that Brown co-wrote in 1989 (USGS Professional Paper 560-A): "while preparation of the geographic sheets was in progress, a need arose for early publication of a 1:2,000,000-scale peninsular geographic map. Consequently, a preliminary edition was compiled and published in both English and Arabic in 1958". The present map, in English, is from that preliminary edition - the basis for all future cartography of its kind in the region. Geographic compilation notes add that, where photography was unavailable, "World Aeronautical Charts, British War Office 1:1,000,000 and 1:250,000 maps, and ground traverse data were used". In addition to geographical features, towns, villages, roads (primary and secondary), trails, railways, stations, airports, landing fields, and ruins are all shown, as well as water pipelines, "important desert watering places", oil-fields, pipelines, terminals, pumping stations, refineries, and mines. Glen F. Brown, Dwight L. Schmidt & A. Curtis Huffman, Jr., "Geology of the Arabian Peninsula: Shield Area of Western Saudi Arabia", U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 560-A, 1989. Colour map (approximately 1,200 x 1,380 mm, folding away to 200 x 185 mm.) Housed in a black cloth flat-back box with chemise by the Chelsea Bindery. Creased where folded and to extremities, some slight tears to a few folds, minor toning and foxing to top left corner, verso only. In excellent condition.

N° de réf. du vendeur 170524

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Map: Prepared by the US Geological Survey and the Arabian American Oil Company under the joint sponsorship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Finance and National Economy, and the US Department of State. Map 1-270 B-1. Scale 1:2,000,000.
• Éditeur: Washington, DC: U.S. Geological Survey 1958
• Édition: Edition originale