- Author: U.S. Geological Survey
- Date: 1883
- Medium: Wax Engraving
- Condition: Very Good
- Inches: 11.5 x 8
- Centimeters: 29.2 x 20.3
- Product ID: 101395
The Crater of Kilauea, Hawaii.
The USGS was created by an act of Congress on March 3, 1879, and charged with the "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain". This task was driven by the need to inventory the vast lands added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Mexican–American War in 1848. The legislation also provided that the Hayden, Powell, and Wheeler surveys be discontinued as of June 30, 1879.