The Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel was a geological survey made by order of the Secretary of War according to acts of Congress of March 2, 1867, and March 3, 1869, under the direction of Brig. and Bvt. Major General A. A. Humphreys, Chief of Engineers, by

Clarence King Clarence Rivers King (January 6, 1842 – December 24, 1901) was an American geologist, mountaineer and author. He was the first director of the United States Geological Survey from 1879 to 1881. Nominated by Republican President Rutherford B. Hay ...

, U. S. geologist. More commonly known as the Fortieth Parallel Survey, the survey conducted field work from 1867 to 1872, exploring the area along the fortieth parallel north from northeastern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, through

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, to eastern

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

Results

The results of the survey were published in eight volumes of the Fortieth Parallel Survey:
Vol. I. Systematic geology
by Clarence King, U. S. Geologist. 1878. xii, 803 pp., and atlas of 12 sheets.
Vol. II. Descriptive geology
by

Arnold Hague Arnold Hague (December 3, 1840 in Boston, Massachusetts – May 14, 1917 in Washington, D.C.) was a United States geologist who did many geological surveys in the U.S., of which the best known was that for Yellowstone National Park. He also had as ...

and S. F. Emmons. 1877. xiii, 890 pp.
Vol. III. Mining industry
by James Duncan Hague, with geological contributions by Clarence King. 1870. xv, 647 pp. and atlas of 14 sheets.
Vol. IV
Part I, Palaeontology. by F. B. Meek. Part II, Palaeontology, by James Hall and R. P. Whitfield
Part III, Ornithology
by

Robert Ridgway Robert Ridgway (July 2, 1850 – March 25, 1929) was an American ornithologist specializing in systematics. He was appointed in 1880 by Spencer Fullerton Baird, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to be the first full-time curator of bi ...

. 1877. xii, 669 pp.
Vol. V. Botany
by

Sereno Watson Sereno Watson (December 1, 1826 in East Windsor Hill, Connecticut – March 9, 1892 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) was an American botanist. Graduating from Yale in 1847 in Biology, he drifted through various occupations until, in California, he j ...

, aided by Prof. Daniel C. Eaton and others. 1871. liii, 525 pp.
Vol. VI. Microscopical petrography
by Ferdinand Zirkel. 1876. xv, 297 pp.
Vol. VII. Odontornithes
A monograph on the extinct toothed birds of North America, by

Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 – March 18, 1899) was an American professor of Paleontology in Yale College and President of the National Academy of Sciences. He was one of the preeminent scientists in the field of paleontology. Among ...

. 1880. xv, 201 pp. * Special Publication
List of plants collected in Nevada and Utah, 1867-69
numbered as distributed. Sereno Watson, collector. Atlases: * Atlas accompanying the report of the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel. by Clarence King, U. S. geologist-in-charge. 1876.

Julius Bien Julius Bien (27 September 1826, Naumburg – 21 December 1909, Manhattan, New York) was an American lithographer originally from Germany, as well as president of B’nai B’rith for more than three decades. He also produced a lithographed edit ...

, Lithographer. Folio, 2 11., (title and legend), 1 single and 11 double folio sheets (1 single folio map, 10 double folio maps, 1 double folio section).
Atlas accompanying Volume III on Mining Industry
ist of plates.Engraved and printed by Julius Bien, New York. Folio, 11. (title page), 14 plates.

References

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Additional Sources

USGS Historical Photography Library
- Collection of photographs from the 40th Parallel Survey.
Photos of volumes
- held at the American Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee. Geology of California Geology of Nevada Geology of Wyoming Expeditions from the United States Exploration of North America History of Earth science North American expeditions United States Geological Survey 1860s in the United States 1870s in the United States Geography of the Western United States