Occurrence of Oil and Gas in West Texas – Frank A. Herald – UT Bureau Economic Geology 1957

Published in 1957 by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin, Occurrence of Oil and Gas in West Texas is a substantial period reference documenting the geology and petroleum resources of one of North America’s most significant oil-producing regions.

Edited by Frank A. Herald, the volume was issued as University of Texas Publication No. 5716 and examines the occurrence and distribution of oil and natural gas across West Texas through the geological knowledge and exploration methods of the mid-20th century.

Today, the book is perhaps most interesting as a historical artifact of science and industry. It documents a period when geologists were rapidly developing increasingly sophisticated ways to understand the subsurface, helping transform both Texas and the modern world. That scientific progress also enabled an enormous expansion in fossil-fuel extraction whose atmospheric and climatic consequences were not yet broadly understood or incorporated into the industry’s development.

Viewed from the present, the volume therefore captures an important chapter in the complicated history of applied science: remarkable advances in geology and our understanding of the Earth, intertwined with an energy system whose environmental consequences would become increasingly apparent in the decades that followed.

An excellent historical reference for collectors interested in geology, Earth science, Texas history, environmental history, the history of energy, or vintage scientific publications.

Title: Occurrence of Oil and Gas in West Texas
Editor: Frank A. Herald
Publisher: Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas, Austin
Publication: University of Texas Publication No. 5716
Date: August 15, 1957
Subject: Petroleum geology, West Texas geology, history of science and energy

Vintage condition with expected signs of age and use. See photographs for the exact condition and any institutional markings.