geological survey

noun

1. U.S. Government. a division of the Department of the Interior, created in 1879, that studies the nation’s water and mineral resources, makes topographic surveys, and classifies and leases public lands.
2. (lowercase) a systematic investigation of the geology of an area.

noun

1. a government-sponsored organization working in the field of geology, such as the US Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of India, or the Institute of Geological Sciences (UK)