A history of the relation of geology during the first 110 years of the US Geological Survey to the development of public-land, federal-science, and mapping policies and the development of mineral resources in the United States.

Approximately 200 years of the history of the development of the study of geology.

Summaries of the major features of the geology of North America and the adjacent oceanic regions are presented in 20 chapters. Topics covered include concise reviews of current thinking about Precambrian basement, Phanerozoic orogens, cratonic basins, passive-margin geology of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions, marine and terrestrial geology of the Caribbean region and economic geology.