CompuServe Messages

Jack, I'll offer a few general ideas at the risk of being too basic. First, contact by phone the Georgia Geological Survey (or maybe its Geological Survey of Georgia), which is probably in Atlanta. Call directory assistance for number and ask your questions. If they can't help right then, get their address and preferrably someone's name and write back with your questions; this way your letter can find its way to the right person. If you're not in Georgia, try to save a few $ and ask the Geor. Geo Sur. if they have phone numbers for other agencies, university geology dept.'s, etc… anyone who might be able to help. Depending upon your budget (I'm assuming your calls will be long distance) and how much time you have, call the universities. Again, get addresses and write follow-up letters with detailed questions. You'll get a faster response if you state in the letter the preference that someone call instead of write back. And, dare I say it, go to the nearest university library and do a literature search. If you're not experienced at this, put on your best smile and ask the reference librarian for assistance. Don't forget to check in "government documents" section, looking for USGS (U.S. Geol. Survey) "papers" and maps. Unless you hit the jackpot early on, give-up and just call people; a successful literature search for a specific problem outside your own field could take months. If "Northern Georgia" is the coastal plain/piedmont, and your study area is about a county in size, check with the Soil Conservation Service ("SCS";in US Dept of Agri) at the respective extension office (i.e., located in the county) to see if the county has had a soil survey. Aerial photos, with soil types overlayed, are usually part of the report. Copies of these can be free if you give a good reason why you need a copy; the few times I've gotten copies they requested I get them in person. Soil types are stratigraphically descriptive down 4 – 6 ft. If you want, you can try to use this data to find your own buried beds. At a minimum, just having aerials is always helpful. If "Northern Georgia" is in the mountains, edging into the piedmont, then your hoped-for study of ancient steam beds (which, incidentally, I read as "buried") probably exists. Economic estimates made for hidden placer deposits should have been done by somebody given the rich occurence of semi-precious gem-type minerals in the area. Good luck! Let me know how it goes. Phil