The early history of the Spanish Geological Survey: the Commission for the Geological Map of Spain (1849–1910)

It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that geological investigation in Spain became institutionalised. This occurred in 1849 when a commission was formed to create a geological map of the province of Madrid, work on which was scheduled to culminate in the creation of a national geological map. Despite its name, the idea was not only to cover geological cartography but also to create a geographical map and catalogues of the botanical and faunal resources. After the commission was dissolved in 1859, these objectives were lost, and work on the geological map continued in the General Statistics Board. The project was once again modified in 1870, with the creation of a new organisation, the Commission for the Geological Map of Spain, which fulfilled its objectives in 1889 with the publication of the first national geological map. The change of paradigm produced by the loss of the colonies and the need to discover new sources of wealth and take advantage of the subsoil’s resources was the reason for a change in the Commission’s aims. The institution was modernised in 1910 and became the new Spanish Geological Institute, which in January 1927 would be re-formed as the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute.Instituto Geológico y Minero de Españ