T78 Celebrating State Geological Surveys, State Geologists, and Exceptional State Projects
Monday, 16 October 2023
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
334
DR. VIRGIL E. BARNES: CHAMPION OF GEOLOGIC MAPPING IN TEXAS
Paper number: T78-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:25 AM – 8:40 AM
Authors
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Linda McCall Presenting AuthorJackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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Brian HuntJackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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Jeffrey PaineJackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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Carson WernerJackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Abstract
In 1961, Dr. Barnes was assigned as director of the Geologic Atlas of Texas (GAT) (https://store.beg.utexas.edu/25-geologic-atlas-of-texas) project to create new uniform geologic maps of the state, an ambitious project that he had originally proposed in the late 1940s. The GAT project would require compilation of maps from published sources, unpublished theses and dissertations, and oil company files to create a series of geologic maps for Texas that each covered an area of one-degree latitude by two degrees longitude. Each map was to include topography, roads, cities, towns, railroads, and other cultural features.
Twenty-six years later in 1987, the project was completed when the last of 38 map sheets covering the surface geology for the state of Texas at the scale of 1:250,000 was published. Dr. Barnes also directed the Geologic Map of Texas (https://store.beg.utexas.edu/thematic-maps/1257-sm0003.html) project that produced a four-quadrant 1:500,000-scale geologic wall-sized map of the state that was completed in 1992.
The GAT maps are an invaluable resource for geoscience in Texas and are foundational to any regional and state-level natural resource evaluation from energy, minerals, aggregate, groundwater, ecological, and natural hazards. Dr. Barnes and his collaborators took disparate geologic information and synthesized it into a consistent and uniform layout, while establishing the geologic nomenclature, stratigraphy, and structure within each map area. This work created the framework for continued detailed geologic mapping in Texas.
Beyond Texas the maps have served as important components in the creation of other maps of North America. In acknowledgment of their significance, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the Texas Natural Resources Information System collaborated in 2007 to digitize the paper maps, resulting in the seamless, GIS-based Geologic Database of Texas (GDT). This adaptation ensures that this pioneering work continues to be relevant and influential in the age of digital mapping.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 6
doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-394493
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