Military Geology Unit | |
---|---|
Active | 1942-1945 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Geological Survey |
Role | Terrain Intelligence |
The Military Geology Unit was a unit in the United States military during World War II. It was established on June 24, 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor. [1] People in the US Geological Survey wanted to get involved in the war effort, either for patriotism or prestige or both, and provided a geological intelligence report for a randomly chosen country, Sierra Leone.
The Sierra Leone report described the terrain, locations of water supplies and road-building materials, and other facts useful for military operations. The US military bought the idea and so the Military Geological Unit was formed, starting out with six people but quickly expanding.
The USGS continued to operate a Military Geology Unit through 1975, providing the US Department of Defense with research and documentation necessary for military operations. [2]
The entire Military Geology Unit wartime roster was 88 geologists, 11 soil scientists, 6 bibliographers, 5 engineers, three editors, one forester and 43 assisting staff. [1] Most of the reports prepared by the Unit were prepared by teams made up mainly of geologists but commonly included soils scientists, botanists, climatologists, and geographers. Nearly all of the soils scientists and climatologists were members of the US Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service. [3]
During World War II geology won its spurs as an important tool in both planning and operations in the US Army. This growth of geology was due to the increased appreciation on the part of our military leaders of the importance of scientific techniques and information, and to the increased appreciation on the part of our scientists of the usefulness of their abilities in the solution of a large variety of very practical problems. [4]
The geological conditions of the Normandy beaches for the Invasion of Normandy were investigated by the American and British MGU. Some of the civilian scientists were sent ashore months before the invasion. "...civilian scientists, not all of them young or signally muscled, landed on the beaches ... wriggling along on their bellies, within range of German guns, they obtained samples of sand soil so when the tanks and trucks bustled ashore the drivers would be prepared for the terrain the equipment would be on hand to bridge the worst spots." [5]
Research in 17th and 18th century French geological reports showed the land had clay underneath the sand which would bog down tanks and other vehicles. To find out the truth, geologists went ashore before the invasions with boring tools to find out if the old reports were correct, and special equipment was developed to overcome the problem. [6]
For the invasion, large scale maps, in three editions, of the Normandy beach conditions of 1:5,000 were printed in great secrecy, with each map numbered for controlled use. Few copies of these maps survived the war. Other maps were prepared to show the best areas suitable for building airfields, and of water supply locations. [7]
The Military Geology Unit was key in determining the origin of Japanese Fu-Go balloon bombs. [8] Working with Colonel Sidman Poole of US Army Intelligence, the researchers of the Military Geological Unit began microscopic and chemical examination of the sand from the sandbags to determine types and distribution of diatoms and other microscopic sea creatures, and its mineral composition. The sand could not be coming from American beaches, nor from the mid-Pacific. It had to be coming from Japan. Ultimately the geologists determined the precise beaches in Japan the sand had been taken from. By this time, it was mostly irrelevant, since by early spring the balloon offensive was almost over.
A number of reports were produced by the Military Geologists covering the moon, including the first photogeologic map of the near side. [9]
Under the aegis of the Military Geology Unit, some of the earliest research and documentation on permafrost was published in English. Research on the topic had only been previously published in Russian.
Engineering geology is the application of geology to engineering study for the purpose of assuring that the geological factors regarding the location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of engineering works are recognized and accounted for. Engineering geologists provide geological and geotechnical recommendations, analysis, and design associated with human development and various types of structures. The realm of the engineering geologist is essentially in the area of earth-structure interactions, or investigation of how the earth or earth processes impact human made structures and human activities.
William Bernard Robinson King was a British geologist.
William Edward Davies was a notable American geologist, speleologist and official of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). He produced pioneering surveys of West Virginia and Maryland caves.
Thomas Brennan Nolan was an American geologist who was director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 1956 to 1965. The mineral nolanite is named in his honor and he was an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the United States National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He was generally known as Tom Nolan.
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, although backgrounds in physics, chemistry, biology, and other sciences are also useful. Field research is an important component of geology, although many subdisciplines incorporate laboratory and digitalized work. Geologists can be classified in a larger group of scientists, called geoscientists.
Levi Fatzinger Noble was an American geologist. His entire career was spent as a member of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Noble is largely known for his work in the American southwest, particularly as a pioneer geologist in the Death Valley region.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization's work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. The agency was founded on March 3, 1879.
The United States Geological Survey Library is a program within the United States Geological Survey, a scientific bureau within the Department of Interior of the United States government. The USGS operates as a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.
The Army Map Service (AMS) was the military cartographic agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1941 to 1968, subordinated to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. On September 1, 1968, the AMS was redesignated the U.S. Army Topographic Command (USATC) and continued as an independent organization until January 1, 1972, when it was merged into the new Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) and redesignated as the DMA Topographic Center (DMATC). On October 1, 1996, DMA was folded into the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), which was redesignated as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in 2003.
Major James Warren Bagley was an American aerial photographer, topographic engineer and inventor.
The Inter-Services Topographic Department (1940–1946) was a joint British Army and Navy organization created during World War II that was responsible for supplying topographic intelligence for all combined operations, and in particular, for preparing reports in advance of military operations overseas. This is an intelligence unit administered by the Royal Navy.
Ruth Anna Marie Schmidt was an American geologist and paleontologist who was a pioneer for women scientists. She spent most of her career in Alaska, where she established a United States Geological Survey (USGS) field office and established the first Department of Geology at the Anchorage Community College, now part of the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 1964, Schmidt directed the initial assessment of the damage done to the city of Anchorage by the Great Alaska Earthquake, the largest earthquake in North American history, and the second largest earthquake ever to be recorded. She worked for the USGS in Washington, DC during the era of McCarthyism and was investigated twice for disloyalty because of her membership in the interracial Washington Cooperative Bookshop. She was cleared both times. She earned a number of awards, honors, and letters of commendation and appreciation. After her death in 2014, she was recognized as a philanthropist.
Frank Clifford Whitmore Jr. was an American geologist including chief of the Military Geology Unit of the United States Geological Survey, vertebrate paleontologist with the Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch of the United States Geological Survey, awardee of the Medal of Freedom, fellow of the Geological Society of America, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Penrose Medal citationist, awardee of the Thomas Jefferson Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Science, Honorable Kentucky Colonel, member of the National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration, founding member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, recipient of the Meritorious Service Award by the United States Department of Interior.
Mary Collins Rabbitt, born Mary Priscilla Collins, was an American geophysicist, administrator, and historian for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Her interest in seismology led her to working alongside well-known seismologist, Perry Byerly. Later on, she worked for Kirtley Mather, and eventually, as an assistant to James Balsley. As well as her contributions to the USGS, Rabbit revitalized the editorial process of scientific publications. In Minerals, Lands, and Geology for the Common Defense and General Welfare Volume 2, 1879-1904, Rabbit outlines how the development of public land, mapping policies, and the development of mineral resources in the United States shaped the maturation of the field of geology. Volume 3 describes the USGS' interest in reviewing basic research from the 1904 conservation movement for strategic mineral studies. She describes the struggles researchers faced during the intervention of the Federal government for conservation and public land classification, and how World War 1's subsequent economic crash in 1929 increased strain on the studies. Rabbit also conveys how the changing economies of coal and agriculture, as well as the need to study water and minerals, put excess strain on the Survey.
Esther Aberdeen Holm was an American academic who began as a paleontologist turning to applied geology.
Siemon William Muller was an American paleontologist and geologist, known for his studies on Triassic paleontology and stratigraphy, and for his work on permafrost.
Henry Gardiner Ferguson was an American geologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). He worked primarily in Nevada and was a pioneer in the geology of the central Great Basin, producing many publications including multiple USGS geological maps of central Nevada. Ferguson was a lifelong friend and colleague of Levi Noble, a mentor to Ralph Roberts, and worked extensively with Siemon Muller. Along with his wife Alice Ferguson, he helped found the Moyaone Reserve community in Accokeek, Maryland.
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Florence Robinson Weber was an American geologist, pilot, and adventurer, whose work contributed greatly to Alaskan geology. Weber was a co-author on the first geologic map of the Fairbanks Quadrangle, and the engineering geology maps for the trans-Alaska pipeline route.