State Geologist of Michigan
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| Abbreviation | MGS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1837 |
| Type | Research & Education |
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Region served
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Michigan |
| Website | mgs |
The Michigan Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the U.S. state of Michigan. The survey is headed by the State Geologist of Michigan.
The survey has been composed of three individual surveys: the first from 1837 through 1845, the second from 1859 through 1862, and the third from 1869 to present. During most of that time, the survey has been a department of the state government. Since 2011 however, the survey has been administered by the Department of Geosciences at Western Michigan University.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That the governor is hereby authorized and directed to nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, to appoint a competent person, whose duty it shall be to make an accurate and complete geological survey of this State, which shall be accompanied with proper maps and diagrams, and furnish a full and scientific description of its rocks, soils, minerals, and of its botanical and geological productions, together with specimens of the same; which maps, diagrams, and specimens shall be deposited in the State library, and similar specimens shall be deposited in such literary and scientific institutions as the governor shall direct; and the governor is further authorized to appoint, from time to time, as the exigencies of the case may require, competent persons to act as assistants under the directions of the geologist.
SECTION 2. A sum not exceeding $3,000 for the year 1837, a sum not exceeding $6,000 for the year 1838, a sum not exceeding $8,000 for the year 1839, and a sum not exceeding $12,000 for the year 1840, is hereby appropriated to defray the expenses that may be incurred under this act, which sums shall be paid out of the treasury from any money not otherwise appropriated, at such times and in such sums as the governor may direct; and an account of all the expenditures of each year shall be annually reported to the legislature.
SECTION 3. The geologist appointed under the provisions of this act shall make a report annually to the legislature, on the first Monday of January, in each year, setting forth generally the progress made in the survey hereby authorized.
On January 26, 1837, Michigan was admitted as a state. On that same day, a bill was introduced and approved in the state legislature to conduct a geological survey of Michigan. Dr. Douglass Houghton, who created and planned the survey, convinced legislators to approve its creation and funding. The bill, titled "An act to provide for a geological survey of the state", was signed into law by Governor Stevens T. Mason on February 23, commencing the state's first geological survey. Owing to his effort in creating the survey, Houghton was named the first State Geologist. Abram Sager was appointed as Houghton's assistant for the zoological and botanical aspects of the survey. The survey was appropriated $3000 for its first year. The motivational factor for establishing a geological survey was primarily to secure supplies of salt. Lesser reasons were to help dispel negative beliefs about the state and to investigate copper resources in the Upper Peninsula. As established, the survey was expected to be completed in four years; however, it was soon realized that a proper survey of the entire state would take much longer.
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