When we travel in Kentucky, we admire the beautiful, pastoral farm land of western Kentucky, the acres of famous blue grass and classic white fences surrounding thoroughbred horse farms in central Kentucky, and the gently rolling hills of eastern Kentucky. Beneath this diverse landscape is a variety of earth materials that are continually changing in response to earth processes. The settlement patterns of our pioneers, mining and other economic activity, the productivity of agriculture, the location of scenic sights in national and state parks, all reflect the type and structure of rocks beneath the surface and the history of the rocks over millions of years. Learning how to use a geologic map enables us to get a glimpse of what our Earth looked like in the past, how our Earth has changed over time and appreciate how the world we live in came to be, and make use of the abundant mineral and water resources of the Earth.
This citizen's guide is designed to explain the multitude of ways in which a geologic map can be useful and of interest to people in all walks of life and important for economic and business development. We are using a map of an area in central Kentucky that geologists refer to as the 1:100,000-scale geologic map of Harrodsburg. The 1:100,000 scale means that 1 inch on the map represents 1.6 miles on the ground. This map encompasses 1,885 square miles and all or part of 15 counties (fig. 1: map of Kentucky with an inset showing the area of the Harrodburg map). We discuss the economic and population base of the counties included in the map. We explain how the geologic information on this map can be used to explain things we experience in everyday life. We discuss how the information on this map can be used to solve problems that are experienced in everyday life. We explain how the resources of the Kentucky Geological Survey are helpful to business and citizens across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
To assist you in using this citizen's guide, a glossary of terms is included in the appendix. At our Web site dedicated to this citizen's guide, www.uky.edu/KGS/maps/harrodsburg.html, you can also find color photographs, maps, and illustrations, as well as annotated links to related Internet sites to provide more information for you to use.
Jackson, Julia A., ed., 1997, Glossary of Geology, Fourth Edition: Alexandria, Va., American Geological Institute, 769 p.
Lambert, David, and the Diagram Group, 1998, The Field Guide to Geology, updated edition, New York: Facts on File, p. 256.
Mather, W.W., Report on the geological reconnoissance of Kentucky, made in 1838, by W.W. Mather, Lexington: Kentucky Geological Survey, 1988, reprint 25, p. 253-292.
Mazzullo, Jim, 1997, Investigations into Physical Geology, Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace & Company, 362.
Thiele, Walter, 1938, Official Map Publications: Chicago, Ill., American Library Association, p. 3.