1:50,000 quadrangle geological mapping project in Japan

−53− Synthesiology English edition Vol.11 No.2 pp.53 –67 (Dec. 2018) In this paper, I shall first describe the role of geological maps in society, provide overview of the history of the quadrangle geological map 1 project at the old Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) and the new GSJ (AIST-GSJ after reorganization to AIST), and present the changes in the total plan of the mapping project. The overall plan of the quadrangle geological mapping project and the production process of 1:50,000 quadrangle geological maps can be rephrased as the general scenario and individual scenarios of the mapping project. In the first half of this paper, I shall address the general scenario through the changes in the plan of the quadrangle geological mapping project since the Meiji Period, and in the latter half, I shall introduce the individual scenar ios for the production of 1:50,000 quadrangle geological maps. Finally, I shall discuss the roles of the general and individual scenarios in the 1:50,000 mapping project of the future.