Early history of the Spanish Geological Survey: the Commission for the Geological Map of Spain (1849–1910)

Abstract

AbstractIt was not until the mid-nineteenth century that geological investigation in Spain became institutionalized. This occurred in 1849 when a commission was formed to create a geological map of the province of Madrid, work on which was intended to culminate in the creation of a national geological map. Despite its name, the idea was not only to cover geological cartography, but also to create a geographical map and catalogues of the botanical and faunal resources. After the commission was dissolved in 1859, these objectives were lost and work on the geological map continued within the General Statistics Board. The project was once again modified in 1870, with the creation of a new organization, the Commission for the Geological Map of Spain, which fulfilled its objectives in 1889 with the publication of the first national geological map. The reason for the change in the Commission's aims was the change in circumstances produced by the loss of Spain's overseas colonies and the need to discover new sources of wealth and take advantage of the resources of the subsurface in Spain itself. The institution was modernized in 1910 and became the new Spanish Geological Institute; it was re-formed again in January 1927 as the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute.