Clarence E.
Dutton, of the Ordnance Corps of the Army, is placed in charge, also with
a strong corps of assistants.

Third and fourth, two divisions have been organized to prosecute work on
the archaean rocks, embracing within their field not only all rocks of
archaean age, but all metamorphic crystalline schists, of whatever age they
may be found. The first division has for its chief Prof. Raphael Pumpelly,
assisted by a corps of geologists, and the field of his work is the
crystalline schists of the Appalachian region, or eastern portion of the
United States, extending from northern New England to Georgia. He will
also include in his studies certain paleozoic formations which are
immediately connected with the crystalline schists and involved in their
orographic structure.

The second division for the study of this class of rocks is in charge of
Prof. Roland D. Irving, with a corps of geologists, and his field of
operation is in the Lake Superior region. It is not proposed at present to
undertake the study of the crystalline schists of the Rocky Mountain
region.

Fifth, another division has been organized for the study of the areal,
structural, and historical geology of the Appalachian region, extending
from the Atlantic, westward, to the zone which separates the mountain
region from the great valley of the Mississippi. Mr. G.K. Gilbert has
charge of this work, and has a large corps of assistants.

Sixth, it seemed desirable, partly for scientific reasons and partly for
administrative reasons, that a thorough topographic and geologic survey
should be made of the Yellowstone Park, and Mr. Arnold Hague is in charge
of the work, with a corps of assistants. When it is completed, his field
will be expanded so as to include a large part of the Rocky Mountain
region, but the extent of the field is not yet determined.

It will thus be seen that the general geologic work relating to those
areas where the terranes are composed of fossiliferous formations is very
imperfectly and incompletely organized. The reason for this is twofold:
First, the work cannot be performed very successfully until the maps are
made; second, the Geological Survey is necessarily diverting much of its
force to the construction of maps, and cannot with present appropriations
expand the geologic corps so as to extend systematic work in the field
over the entire country.

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.

Under the organic law of the Geological Survey, investi