Arkansas Geological Survey
Great Seal of Arkansas
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1857-1860 revived 1887-1893 reconstituted in 1923 |
| Jurisdiction | State of Arkansas |
| Headquarters | 3815 West Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, AR 72204 |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | Geology.AR.Gov |
The Arkansas Geological Survey (AGS), formerly the 'Arkansas Geological Commission' (AGC), is a government agency of the State of Arkansas. It is responsible for the investigation of the geology, geologic processes, and geologic resources within the state. It encourages the considered management and utilization of the state's mineral, fossil-fuel, and water resources with attention to the potential environmental issues of that activity.
The Geological Survey of Arkansas was first established in 1857, at the direction of Governor Elias Nelson Conway. David Dale Owen was the agencies first geologist. Initially, the agency received funding for only three years, which limited the agencies findings and publications, and the agency was left without funding during the Civil War.
After the war, assertions were made regarding the possibility of the existence of precious metals and the 'Geological Survey of Arkansas' was restored. In 1887, John C. Branner was hired as state geologist. He employed a staff of geologists, including the young Herbert Hoover, who would go on to become President of the United States. The agency quickly discovered that various precious metal mining promotions were without merit and when those findings were published, enraged operators and investors demanded Branner’s dismissal. The agency was abolished in 1893, though Arkansas legislature continued to provide funds for publication of the agencies work. In 1923, Governor Thomas Chipman McRae re-established the commission, and the present agency was created as the 'Arkansas Geological Commission' by Act 16 of 1963. In 2007, Arkansas Act 129 changed the agency’s name to its current designation as the Arkansas Geological Survey.
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