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Created in 1837, the Ohio Geological Survey is the oldest natural resources agency in the state. Dedicated to researching and mapping Ohio's geology, the Survey is the state's permanent archive and public access point for geologic data that supports industry, commerce, environment, safety, and public education. The following timeline, which is by no means comprehensive, offers a brief overview of the Survey's history.

Click the last name of each State Geologist to see a portion of the timeline describing his tenure. To provide a sense of context, several key historical events are included in italicized text and marked with a  building icon. Photos and other images are included and can be viewed and/or enlarged by clicking the camera icon or the images themselves. See the "Further Reading" list below for information on the sources used to compile the timeline.

The Mather Survey (1837–1838)
1835 Governor Robert Lucas recommends to the legislature the establishment of a geological survey of the State of Ohio.
1836 In March the Ohio General Assembly establishes a committee to determine the best method to complete a geological survey of the state and a cost estimate to do so. View the committee's report at Internet Archive here.
1837  March: Martin Van Buren becomes 8th U.S. President.
March 27: The Geological Survey of Ohio is authorized by the legislature. William W. Mather is appointed Principal Geologist and is joined by six assistants.
May: Beginning of the financial Panic of 1837, which is thought to have been a key event in the abrupt end of the first Ohio Geological Survey.
June: The first session of field work begins late in the month, after a portion of the season had passed. 
Louis Agassiz begins glaciation studies, which eventually show that Earth has experienced at least one Ice Age.
1838 The Mather Survey completes its second season of field work and issues two annual reports—the first a brief but accurate reconnaissance sketch of Ohio's geology and the second containing considerably more information. A total of $16,700 was expended for the Mather Survey. Key accomplisments of the Mather Survey include:
  • Delineation of general stratigraphic sequence and basic geologic structure of the state.
  • Identification of problem of Lake Erie shore erosion.
  • Information about mineral resources and industries, including:
    • Summary of salt industry in Ohio.
    • Prediction of importance of coal in Ohio.
    • Summaries of other resources, such as limestone, sandstone, and iron ore.
  • Recognition of Cincinnati Arch.
  • Report on Recent Fauna of Ohio.
  • Numerous geologic maps and diagrams.
click to enlarge
1842 In February, W. W. Mather submits to the Ohio legislature a catalog of the geological specimens collected during the First Geological Survey of Ohio. View the catalog at Internet Archive here.

The Newberry Survey (1869–1882)
1869 March: The Ohio legislature passes a bill to establish a second Geological Survey of Ohio. John Strong Newberry is appointed second State Geologist of Ohio, although he continues his position as professor at Columbia College (New York). Appropriations are to be $13,900 per year for three years.
March: Dmitri Mendeleev publishes the first Periodic Table of Elements.
Ulysses S. Grant becomes 18th U.S. President.
May: The First Transcontinental Railroad is completed in Promontory Summit, Utah.
June: Field work for the Newberry Survey begins.
1871
Newberry publishes the first Report of Progress (1869) of the second Survey, including the preliminary geologic map of the state, which featured cross sections of northern and southern Ohio.
Newberry also publishes the second Report of Progress (1870).
1874
The Newberry Survey ends as a viable organization. Newberry and Edward Orton, Sr., would remain on as de facto members of the geological corps.
1878
Newberry, without compensation from the state, publishes Volume III: Geology and Paleontology.
1879
The U.S. Geological Survey is established within the Department of Interior.
1882
Newberry publishes Volume IV: Zoology and Botany and his tenure as state geologist officially ends. Several "firsts" in Ohio geology came from the Newberry Survey, including:
  • Stratigraphic classification for Ohio and establishment of age and correlations of many stratigraphic units.
  • Official geologic map of the entire state.
  • Statewide geologic analysis on a county basis.
  • Comprehensive analysis of Ohio fossils.
  • Systematic investigation of Ohio's glacial geology. [948 KB PDF]

The Orton, Sr., Survey (1882–1899)
1882 Edward Orton, Sr., succeeds Newberry as the third State Geologist of Ohio, while maintaining his professorship at The Ohio State University.  He receives $5,000 in appropriations to complete Volume V on economic geology. 
1884 Volume V: Economic Geology is published.
1885 March: Grover Cleveland is inaugurated 22nd U.S. President.
A drilling boom begins in northwestern Ohio with the discovery of oil and gas in the Lima-Indiana Field. Production from the Middle Ordovician Trenton Limestone from a well in Findlay begins a boom resulting in the drilling of over 70,000 wells.
1886 As a result of the drilling activity across Ohio, Orton, Sr., is given an extension to complete the next volume on economic geology, focused primarily on oil and gas in Ohio.
1888 The National Geographic Society is founded.
The Survey publishes an updated geologic map of Ohio as an accompaniment to Volume VI: Economic Geology. The map recognized seven separate geologic units.
1890 Orton, Sr., publishes the First Annual Report of the Third Organization.
1893 Volume VII is published in two parts, addressing economic geology, botany, archaeology, and palaeontology. The work marks the end of active Survey work under Orton, Sr., who continues as State Geologist in an honorary capacity, as no further appropriations are made and no active investigations are carried out.
1899 October: Edward Orton, Sr., dies after 30 years (including time under Newberry) of service to the Ohio Geological Survey. Among the accomplishments of the Orton, Sr., Survey are:
  • The first significant reports on the oil and gas geology of Ohio, including origin, accumulation, and production.
  • New and additional information on Ohio stratigraphy, clays, and coals.
  • Completion and publication of several research efforts begun under Newberry.
  • Updated state geologic map.

The Orton, Jr., Survey (1899–1906)
1899 In December, Edward Orton, Jr., is appointed State Geologist to complete the term of his father.
1900 The Survey is reorganized and becomes known as the Fourth Organization, although this is not a matter of legislation but rather a result of procedural changes enacted by Orton, Jr.
1901 Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th U.S. President after the assassination of Pres. William McKinley.
Orton, Jr., is reappointed as State Geologist of Ohio. He would be reappointed again in 1904. Under Orton, Jr., Survey reports are issued as Bulletins, bound into volumes only when sufficient materials on a topic are published.
1904 Offices at The Ohio State University become the Survey's first permanent headquarters, stocked with equipment necessary to conduct its research. Known today as Orton Hall, the building would remain home to the Survey until 1962.
1905 Albert Einstein completes his theory of special relativity.
1906 Orton, Jr., resigns post as State Geologist. During his tenure Orton, Jr., who is considered the founder of ceramic engineering, leads the Survey with a focus on economic geology. Fifteen bulletins are published, bound into four volumes, addressing a wide range of topics.

The Bownocker Survey (1906–1928)
1906 John A. Bownocker becomes fifth State Geologist of Ohio, after Edward Orton, Jr., resigns. Bownocker continues as professor of geology and eventually as chairman of the geology department at The Ohio State University.
1909
The Survey publishes an updated geologic map of Ohio, the first Ohio bedrock map to recognize the Ordovician System. The map also showed oil and gas fields, salt works, gypsum mines, and portland cement works, along with other new geologic information.
The Burgess Shale (Cambrian) fossil site is discovered in British Columbia by Charles Walcott.
1912 Alfred Wegener proposes the concept of Pangaea and continental drift.
1915 Albert Einstein completes his theory of general relativity.
Bownocker publishes Bulletin 18, Building Stones of Ohio, the most comprehensive examination of Ohio sandstones and limestones suitable for building. Today, Bulletin 18 still is regarded as an important source for researching Ohio building/dimension stones used in historic structures throughout the state.
1920
With topographic map coverage of the entire state available, the Survey produces an updated, more detailed state geologic map. The 1920 bedrock map would serve until 2006, when a new, digital version is released (see "The Berg Survey").
1928 Bownocker dies, vacating the post of State Geologist. During his tenure, the Survey published 25 bulletins on numerous topics, including:
  • Mineral resources (coal, oil and gas, peat, clay), building stones, and ground water.
  • Stratigraphy of the Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian Systems.
  • Regional geology, including the first detailed county reports.
  • Two updated state geologic maps.

The Stout Survey (1928–1946)
1928 Wilber E. Stout is appointed State Geologist, becoming the first full-time State Geologist.
1929 October 24: "Black Tuesday"; stock market crash marks the beginning of the Great Depression.
1931 Ohio legislature eliminates appropriations for the Survey from the state budget. Supporters successfully lobby for partial funding to be returned. However, appropriations for the Survey would remain at a subsistence level throughout the 1930s into the early 1940s, when the staff consisted of Stout, Raymond Lamborn, and Ethel Dean (secretary).
1932 March: Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes 32nd U.S. President.
1935 Charles Richter invents a logarithmic scale (the "Richter Scale") to measure the intensity of earthquakes.
1937 In March two earthquakes rock the small town of Anna in Shelby County, Ohio. They are the most damaging earthquakes to occur in Ohio.
1941 The United States enters World War II.
1943 The Survey releases one of the most significant publications produced during Stout's tenure, Bulletin 44: Geology of Water in Ohio, by Stout, Karl Ver Steeg, and George F. Lamb. Reprinted in 1968, this bulletin discussed the ground-water resources in every Ohio county.
1945 World War II ends.
1946 Wilber Stout retires. Due to funding constraints, the Survey's accomplishments during his tenure are limited but include bulletins on Ohio clay and shale, limestone and dolomite, brine, ground water, iron, flint, coal, and marl.

The White Survey (1946–1947)
1946 George W. White becomes Ohio's seventh State Geologist.
U.S. Atomic Energy Act is passed.
1947 Willard Libby introduces carbon-14 dating.

George White resigns to take a position as chairman of the University of Illinois, Department of Geology. Although his tenure as State Geologist was brief, White was partially successful in securing increased funding for the Survey, and he continued to research Ohio's geology and published reports and maps on a variety of topics, including:

The Melvin Survey (1947–1957)
1947 John H. Melvin is appointed Ohio's eighth State Geologist and begins campaigning to have Ohio remapped topographically at the new 7.5-minute (1:24,000) scale.
1949 The Survey becomes one of seven charter members of the newly created Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The State Geologist becomes the Division Chief.
1950 Korean War begins.
1951 The Ohio Program Commission concludes that "...the Division of Geological Survey has been one of the most grossly under-supported agencies of the state for many years."
1953 Maurice Ewing and Bruce Heezen discover the Great Global Rift running along the Mid-Oceanic Ridge.
Armistice in Korea.
1955 The Ohio legislature enacts legislation that allows for offhore drilling for oil and gas under Lake Erie. However, public concerns about pollution and opposition to drilling intensifies, and in 1968 drilling is banned within the Ohio boundaries of Lake Erie.
1957 John Melvin retires. In addition to maintaining an emphasis on mineral resources and regional geology during his tenure, Melvin oversaw several significant changes that are the basis for the modern Survey, such as:
  • Sectionalizing the functions of Survey research programs.
  • Introducing new series of publications, including Reports of Investigations and Information Circulars, allowing for brief versions of technical reports as well as popular topics. (Information Circulars were used to publish the Survey's annual reports from 1950–1954.)

The Bernhagen Survey (1957–1968)
1957 Ralph J. Bernhagen is appointed Ohio's ninth State Geologist and Division Chief.
After long negotiations, the Survey grants the first (to International Salt Co.) of two permits for underground salt mining beneath Lake Erie. The second permit (to Morton Salt Co.) would be issued the following year.
1959 The Survey begins a cooperative program with the U.S. Geological Survey to prepare 7.5-minute topographic maps for the entire state. The program is completed within six years, and Ohio becomes the first state to have complete detailed map coverage at this scale.
1961 The ODNR Division of Shore Erosion is eliminated and its activities distributed to other ODNR agencies. As a result, the Survey establishes its Lake Erie Section in Sandusky, which includes five employees, facilities, and a research vessel. The Survey becomes responsible for all basic investigations of Lake Erie geology and environment, including the shoreline, as well as for administering laws pertaining to exploration and extraction of minerals beneath the lake.
John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th U.S. President.
1962 The Morrow County oil boom creates increased demands from the petroleum industry and forces the Survey to relocate from its cramped quarters at Orton Hall to new offices at 1207 Grandview Avenue in Columbus.
1963 Lawrence Morley, Fred Vine, and Drummond Matthews postulate paleomagnetic stripes in ocean crust as evidence of plate tectonics (Vine-Matthews-Morley hypothesis).
1965 The Ohio General Assembly passes legislation naming flint as Ohio's official gemstone.
1968 Ralph Bernhagen retires. During his tenure the Survey, with a technical staff that remained at a level of 15 to 20, witnessed one of the most active periods in its history. The agency:
  • Fielded requests for information on mineral resources from various states and even Great Britain.
  • Completed 7.5-minute topographic mapping of the entire state.
  • Helped usher in mining of salt beneath Lake Erie.
  • Established an office specifically for researching Lake Erie geology.
  • Helped represent the state in the Ohio-Michigan boundary dispute of the 1960s.

The Collins Survey (1968–1988)
1968 Horace R. "Buzz" Collins is appointed Division Chief and Ohio's tenth State Geologist.
1969 The Survey establishes a geochemistry program, leading to creation of a well-equipped geochemistry laboratory in the early 1970s.
1970 March: The first Earth Day is observed.
December: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is created.
1973

The ODNR consolidates and the Survey relocates to the Fountain Square Complex, where it is located today. The ODNR Division of Water, Water Inventory Section is transferred to the Survey; however, it would be reunited with the Division of Water in 1975.

The Survey publishes its first of a new series of Guidebook publications.
1976 The Subsurface Geology Section begins an extensive investigation of the Ohio Shale as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Eastern Gas Shales Project, which fosters great interest in Devonian-age black shales as a source of natural gas. This project also marks the first steps by the Survey to create a digital database of producing oil and gas wells in Ohio.
Jimmy Carter is elected 39th U.S. President.
1979 Perhaps in response to the oil crisis of the 1970s, a drilling boom begins (continuing through 1983) in Ohio's oil and gas fields, leading to upgraded facilities and creation of the Geologic Records Center, where the Survey archives geophysical logs and allows public access to them.
1980 Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, causing 57 deaths and $1.1 billion in damage; depositing ash in 11 states; and losing more than 1,300 feet of elevation.
Ronald Reagan is elected 40th U.S. President.
1981 The Ohio legislature approves House Bill 385, which allows the Survey to begin a full-scale, county geologic mapping program that covers bedrock, glacial, and top-of-rock/drift-thickness. Other items of note:
  • The Survey also acquires a core-drilling rig to be used to help characterize Ohio's coal and industrial mineral resources, as well as providing stratigraphic data for the county bedrock mapping.
  • The Abandoned Underground Mine Map Series is completed and released.
  • The Survey begins publishing the Ohio Geology newsletter, providing a convenient means of communicating more openly with the public.
1985 The trilobite Isotelus becomes Ohio's official state fossil.
1987 During the year of the Survey's sesquicentennial, the Consortium for Deep Continental Reflection Profiling (COCORP) begins a continuous seismic line across the state to identify and examine deep crustal structures, such as the Grenville Front.
1988 Buzz Collins retires, marking the end of a highly productive period for the Ohio Geological Survey. Under Collins, the Survey budget increased to over $2 million and the staff tripled. Numerous activities and achievements include:
  • Derivative mapping, such as waste-disposal and geologic materials maps.
  • Increased analytical capabilities with the addition of equipment and facilities, such as X-ray diffraction unit and a sedimentology lab.
  • Mineral resource research of coal, sand and gravel, oil and gas, limestone, sandstone, clay, and salt.
  • Lake Erie shore erosion research.
  • Research for the Superconducting Super Collider site in Ohio.
  • Taking over the mineral statistics program and publishing the Report on Ohio Mineral Industries.
  • Acquisition of a core and sample library facility.
  • Increased cooperative efforts with USGS.

The Berg Survey (1989–2006)
1989 Thomas M. Berg becomes Division Chief and eleventh State Geologist of Ohio.
1990 Legislation is passed to create the Ohio Geology Advisory Council, which provides guidance to the Survey Chief in matters of legislation, programs, and policies.
1991 The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union ends as the USSR dissolves.
1993 Bill Clinton is inaugurated as 42nd U.S. President.
1996
Bulletin 70: Fossils of Ohio is published, a milestone publication offering a comprehensive examination of Ohio's widespread, abundant fossil record. Bulletin 70 would be updated and reprinted in 2005.
1997 The Survey website goes live.
1998

The Survey releases the first maps completed for the Coastal Erosion Area (CEA) Program, designating those areas of the Lake Erie shore in Ohio where coastal erosion is or is anticipated to be problematic.

The Ohio Rock and Mineral Set program begins.
1999 The Horace R. Collins Laboratory opens at Alum Creek State Park in Delaware County.
The Ohio Seismic Network (OhioSeis) is created to conduct statewide monitoring for detecting, locating, and determining magnitude of earthquakes in Ohio and its border regions.
2001 September 11 terrorist attacks.
2004 The Survey launches several online mapping service applications on its website, providing an interactive resource for information on earthquakes, industrial mineral operations, abandoned mines, and carbon sequestration in Ohio. An application for oil and gas wells would go live in 2006.
2006
The Survey releases a new Bedrock Geologic Map of Ohio (Map BG-1). The highly detailed, updated map replaces the 1920 map by Bownocker and marks the pinnacle of a 25-year effort by the Survey to remap Ohio's bedrock geology.
Tom Berg retires. During his tenure the Survey emphasizes digital cartography/mapping and data releases over technical reports. In addition to the new bedrock map, numerous new maps are produced along with other important publications: The Berg Survey also introduces more popular publications, such as the GeoFacts and Hands on Earth Science series, and renewed the use of Educational Leaflets, all of which are designed to deliver geologic information about Ohio to a wider audience, including teachers, students, and citizens-at-large.

The Wickstrom Survey (2007–2012)
2007 February: Lawrence H. Wickstrom is appointed Division Chief and Ohio's twelfth State Geologist.

June: As part of an increasing interest (both in Ohio and nationally) in carbon sequestration research, the Survey drills the CO2 No. 1 test well in southern Tuscarawas County. Information and data collected from the well is used to further evaluate the geology of the area and its capacity for storing carbon dioxide.
December: The late-2000s recession begins.
2008 January: Due to ongoing budget constraints the Lake Erie Geology Group office in Sandusky is closed after nearly 47 years.
March: Massive flooding occurs in the Bellevue area. Survey and Division of Water investigations determine karst is a key factor in the extensive flooding. The investigations lead to increased efforts by the Survey to research and map karst terrain on a more detailed level throughout Ohio, including western Delaware County (2009) and Springfield (2011) areas.
July: U.S. oil prices hit a record high of $147 per barrel.
2009

The Rockies Express (REX) Pipeline is constructed in Ohio. The Survey provides important geologic data and monitors installation at various stages to assist with any potential problems during key horizontal directional drilling activities beneath rivers and ODNR right-of-ways.

As part of significant cuts in state government, general revenue funding for the Survey is eliminated for the fiscal biennium beginning in 2010. However, several grants and partnerships enable the Survey to continue as a viable organization.
2010

The Survey releases a new set of Coastal Erosion Area maps, updating the previously released maps from 1998.

Publication of Ohio Geology is suspended late in the year due to budget constraints. The Survey turns to its web (Ohio Geology EXTRA) and social media presence to reach its constituents, in keeping with a trend of increased digital and online outreach and public interaction.
2011

Increased interest in the Marcellus and Utica Shales reaches Ohio, spurring more drilling into the formations in Ohio and requests for data from the Survey.

As part of a national effort to create a comprehensive database, the Survey begins researching geothermal energy resources in Ohio.
2012

The Earthscope seismic array is installed in Ohio. For two years, highly sensitive instruments will record seismic data as part of an effort to study the structure and evolution of the North American continent and the processes that cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Further Reading

Numerous sources were consulted while compiling the timeline above. Various websites were particularly helpful, especially for those historical events unrelated to the Ohio Geological Survey. The List of Publications and Open-File Materials Available from the Ohio Geological Survey was used as well. And though too numerous to list here, many articles from Ohio Geology were critical to complete this project. Finally, in addition to those specifically identified in the timeline, the following publications were essential in the effort:

Hansen, M.C., and Collins, H.R., 1979, A Brief History of the Ohio Geological Survey: The Ohio Journal of Science, v. 79, no. 1, p. 3–14. [2.5 MB PDF]
King, C.C., ed., A Legacy of Stewardship—The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 1949–1989: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 280 p.
Ohio Division of Geological Survey, 2010, Programs & Services of the Division of Geological Survey: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey Educational Leaflet No. 17. [815 KB PDF]
Smyth, Pauline, compiler, 1979, Bibliography of Ohio Geology 1755–1974: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey Information Circular No. 48, 249 p.

Last update January 12, 2012
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