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Original green printed wraps with green cloth spine 22x28cm. (2)pp prelims including covering letter from James Norton to Fadil Kabbani, Deputy Minister for Mineral Resources, v pp Contents; 100pp including 2 folding maps, 3 full-page maps, and 5 full-page cross-sections; complete with 6 large b/w loose folding Plates (Geologic Maps) in pocket all present as called for. It is noted that Table 4 is numbered twice (p18 and p19), and there is no p22 although the text from p20 to p23 appears to be continuous. Wraps good with much loss to spine cloth, and some strain to the lower wrap owing to the thickness of the folded Plates. Interiors mostly very good with ink offsetting to the blank versos (not affecting text), red ink annotations to 3 of the cross-sections (pp71, 78, 80), and sheets neatly folded. The covering letter is ink stamped "Library" in English and Arabic, with no indication of the institution, and no other such marks. This report is an early "preliminary" product of the monumental USGS-Aramco mapping project (1956-63), which, among other things, produced 21 Geological maps covering the whole of Saudi Arabia in a series of Quadrangles numbered I-200A to I-220A. It was prepared under the follow-up Saudi Arabian Mineral Exploration Project launched in 1963, which was initially coordinated from Jeddah by Glen Brown, with James Norton taking over in 1969. The area covered lies within the Southern Hijaz Quadrangle (covered by Map I-210A), containing 5 ancient mines, and accessible by unpaved road from Taif and an airstrip suitable for light aircraft. The aim of this report was to evaluate their mineral potential, locate target areas, and identify lessons for other areas in Saudi Arabia with similar geologic conditions. The author noted current land use consisted of sheep and goat grazing, small pomegranate and apricot orchards, millet fields, a few grapes and lemons. The area is sparsely populated with settlers and a few nomads. The large number of ruined fortresses may be Ottoman, suggesting a far greater population at that time. There are also Abbasid era ruins in less accessible areas near ancient mines, the best preserved of which at Mulgatah and Mulhal. Wildlife includes fox, wolf, rabbits, baboons, birds, rodents, reptiles and insects including the anopheles mosquito. The fieldwork was done by GH Allcott and RL Earhart during Spring and Summer 1967, including mapping, geochemical and geophysical studies. This resulted in the location of numerous mineralised localities, and visits to known localities. The folding Plates include Geologic Maps of (1)Wadi Bidah District, 1cm to 500 metres, 45x98cm; and the localities of the 5 ancient mines, each on a large 1cm to 10 metres scale at: (2) Mulgatah, 36x65cm; (3) Gehab, 55x99cm; (4) Aha'ab Eltare, 45x80cm; (5) Muhal, 45x69cm; and (6) Rabathan, 54x98cm. Their relative locations are shown by the Index Map in the report on p4. Very rare. Norton's covering letter states 50 copies were sent to Kabbani. Additional copies would have been circulated within USGS and probably Aramco. Worldcat locates copies at 2 USGS libraries (Reston, Denver), and one at the Colorado School of Mines (OCLC 39915064).
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