Central Asiatic Expedition - On the Trail of Ancient Man

Geology of Mongolia

by Charles P. Berkey

The Geology of Mongolia by Berkey and Morris stands as

a model in the field of geological exploration. Professor

Berkey was the Chief Geologist and Petrographer for the Expedition.

Early training in reconnaissance geology was particularly helpful

to Professor Berkey in the Gobi. Conditions under which geologic

work was conducted were far from ideal.

Long trips by car over terrain without roads were tiring.
In an expedition forced to keep a schedule to reach water
holes and meet supply trains on time, frequent stops to make
ground observations were not feasible. Great ingenuity
was required to piece together a coherent geological picture.

It is a high compliment to his ability as a field geologist that

Professor Berkey was able to integrate the general outlines of the

geology of an unmapped and little known region.

Those interested in the role that Professor Berkey played in exploration

of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia will find many of their

questions answered by reading:

"On the Trail of Ancient Man" 

by Roy Chapman Andrews

Henry Fairfield Osborn and his associates

of the American Museum of Natural History in New York had

long been interested in the possibility that Central Asia was the

birthplace from which mammals migrated westward to Europe and

eastward across the Bering Strait to North America. Dr. Andrews

with characteristic vigor and imagination set out to organize and

conduct an expedition to visit this important region where, with

the benefit of the best scientific advice obtainable, verification of

ideas then prevalent might be found. 

Ultimately, a staff composed of 21 members
was chosen, and full-scale journeys were made by

the Central Asiatic Expedition in 1922, 1923, and 1925.