AA-2026-6687AF
On the image
A geologist or soil scientist has positioned a measuring scale against an exposed stratum cut, the kind of methodical documentation that became standard practice in the American West during the post-war expansion of resource surveys and land management. The pale volcanic ash or pumice-rich soil visible in the cutbank, layered and eroded by water and wind, tells a story the photographer was trained to read and record with institutional precision. Behind the scale, the slope rises in the characteristic dryness of the Basin and Range—sparse vegetation, exposed geology, the landscape as a text to be interpreted. The scale itself, a simple wooden ruler with a dark blade, is the telling detail: this is not a casual snapshot but a working document, the kind of field record that accumulated into thousands of small observations about soil behavior, mineral composition, and water infiltration across the intermountain West. Someone back at the office would file this, cross-reference it with coordinates and soil surveys, and file it into a grid of identical photographs, each one proving that geology could be measured, managed, and known. The careful midday light and the color saturation suggest Kodachrome or similar color stock, meaning this record was deemed important enough to preserve in color when black-and-white was still the institutional standard.
Visually related — by likeness
Stratigraphic Study with Scale, Arid Region, mid-20th Century. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-6687AF. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/stratigraphic-study-with-scale-arid-region-mid-20th-century.
@misc{aaAA20266687AF,
title = {Stratigraphic Study with Scale, Arid Region, mid-20th Century},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-6687AF},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/stratigraphic-study-with-scale-arid-region-mid-20th-century}
}TY - ART TI - Stratigraphic Study with Scale, Arid Region, mid-20th Century PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-6687AF UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/stratigraphic-study-with-scale-arid-region-mid-20th-century ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.