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In the nineteenth century, geology emerged as a distinct academic discipline. It pointed the way towards the theory of evolution, as scientists including Gideon Mantell, Adam Sedgwick, Charles Lyell and Roderick Murchison began to use the evidence of minerals, rock formations and fossils to demonstrate that the Earth was older by millions of years than the conventional, Bible-based wisdom had supposed. They argued convincingly that the climate, flora and fauna of the distant past could be deduced from geological evidence. Volcanic activity, the formation of mountains, and the action of glaciers and rivers, tides and ocean currents also became better understood. This series includes landmark publications by pioneers of the modern earth sciences, who advanced the scientific understanding of our planet and the processes by which it is constantly re-shaped.

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149 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Earth Science

Page 3 of 8

De la rupture des glaces du Pôle Arctique
  • Ou, observations géographiques, physiques et météorologiques sur les mers et les contrées du Pôle Arctique
  • Antoine Aubriet
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 2012
    First published in:
    1818
  • In the nineteenth century, scientists were convinced that the North Pole was free of ice. This myth was fostered since the eighteenth century, when it was thought that ice came from rivers and mainly formed near coasts. Rivers supposedly carried into the north seas a prodigious amount of glaçons or 'ice cubes', which formed enormous masses of ice as they accumulated. This misconception led to an inaccurate climate theory that persisted until the beginning of the twentieth century: ice near a country's shores produces bitter cold in that country. This book, published in 1818, links the harsh winters of 1815–17 in England and Europe to the impressive amount of ice encountered at the same time in the Atlantic. The cold was thought to be caused by the break-up and southward drift of Arctic ice. It is attributed to the French meteorologist Antoine Aubriet, who was active in 1815–30.

Critical Examination of the First Principles of Geology
  • In a Series of Essays
  • George Bellas Greenough
  • Published online:
    05 September 2013
    Print publication:
    10 November 2011
    First published in:
    1819
  • Born in London, the geologist G. B. Greenough FRS (1778–1855) initially studied law. His studies took him to the University of Göttingen where, almost by chance, he attended lectures on natural history. He was immediately hooked, gave up his legal studies, and devoted himself to geology, going on a series of scientific tours of France, Italy, Britain, Ireland and lastly India. He helped to found the Geological Society, and under its auspices, he organised a cooperative project that led to his famous geological map of England and Wales. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1807 for his services to geology. This influential series of essays, published in 1819, debunked a range of geological theories that were popular at the time, and by so doing, Greenough helped to reform much of geological thinking. The book also includes transcripts from his presidential addresses to the Geological Society.

Über die vulkanischen Gesteine in Sicilien und Island und ihre Submarine Umbildung
  • Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen
  • Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    13 December 2012
    First published in:
    1853
  • This mineralogical study, published in 1853 by Darwin's German contemporary Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen (1809–76) illustrates the author's dedication to interdisciplinary research and his desire for greater scientific rigour in geology. Seeking to understand the formation of palagonite, a mineral commonly found in rocks produced by submarine eruptions, Waltershausen realised he would also need to understand the precise composition of another class of minerals, the feldspars, on which Robert Bunsen, also at Göttingen, was working independently. Building on his earlier fieldwork, Waltershausen here reports detailed chemical analyses of minerals from olivine to titanium-iron oxides, dividing rocks into five types according to the proportion of oxygen they contain. He compares palagonites from Iceland and Sicily, and explains the role of erupted ash in producing volcanic edifices. His investigations allow him to propose a detailed model of metamorphic processes, taking into account such factors as pressure, temperature and presence of water.

The Geology of the Island of Arran
  • From Original Survey
  • Andrew Crombie Ramsay
  • Published online:
    05 July 2013
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1841
  • The Scottish geologist Andrew Crombie Ramsay (1814–91), best remembered for his work on glaciation, made his name with this study, which originated in holiday visits to Arran. Encouraged by John Nichol of Glasgow University, Ramsay had prepared a geological map of the island for the British Association's visit in 1839, and was to have led a field excursion and lectured to the delegates there, but missed the boat. Nichol arranged for Ramsay's work to be published the following year. It attracted the attention of Roderick Murchison, who found him employment with the Geological Survey, and Ramsay later succeeded Murchison as its director and was knighted on his retirement in 1881. The book, designed as a practical visitor's guide for both amateur and professional geologists, is organised by district with reference to specific geological features, and Ramsay provides full explanations, diagrams and engravings to make his work accessible to non-specialists.

An Elementary Introduction to the Knowledge of Mineralogy
  • Including Some Account of Mineral Elements and Constituents
  • William Phillips
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    12 July 2012
    First published in:
    1816
  • William Phillips (1773–1828) was a printer and geologist who became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1827. A founder of the London Askesian Society, he was also an active member of the British Mineralogical Society. In 1807 he and twelve others founded the Geological Society of London, and he was described by the Society's historian as 'the most distinguished, as a geologist, of the original founders'. His pioneering 1818 digest of British geology, Outlines of the Geology of England and Wales, was the most ambitious and influential work of its kind. Phillips gave free lectures to young people in his village in 1814, and these were published the following year. This work followed in 1816, and both went on to become standard textbooks. Aimed at students, it collects observations of a wide range of minerals' characteristics and occurrence, incorporating crystallographic work using the new reflecting goniometer.

Fragmens de géologie et de climatologie Asiatiques
  • Volume 1
  • Alexander von Humboldt
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 2012
    First published in:
    1831
  • Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was one of the most respected scientists of his day, influencing the work of Darwin. He is considered the founder of physical geography, climatology, ecology and oceanography. In 1829, the Russian government invited Humboldt to visit the gold and platinum mines in the Urals. As he studied the mountains' mineral wealth, he was the first to predict the presence of diamonds. During six months, his epic 10,000-mile expedition took him as far as the Altai Mountains and the Chinese frontier. Humboldt's observations on the geography, volcanic geology and meteorology of Central Asia, being then a largely unexplored territory, were acknowledged as pioneering contributions. The results of his journey also provided much of the data used in part of his great work Kosmos. The first volume of this book, published in 1831, deals with the mountain chains and volcanoes of Central Asia.

The Climate of London
  • Deduced from Meteorological Observations
  • Volume 1
  • Luke Howard
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1818
  • The 'student of clouds' Luke Howard (1772–1864) published this work of statistics on weather conditions in London in two volumes, in 1818 and 1820. Howard was by profession an industrial chemist, but his great interest in meteorology led to his studies on clouds (also reissued in this series), and his devising of the system of Latin cloud names which was adopted internationally and is still in use. Volume 1 begins with an introduction to the work, explaining his intention to make available in one place consistent records of weather events. He argues that for the benefit of 'agriculture and navigation', a systematic approach is required, and he outlines his methods and equipment in some detail. The tables of observations taken at Plaistow, near London, in the years 1806–9 then begin, and are interspersed with notes and a commentary which includes accounts of similar weather phenomena observed elsewhere.

Fragmens de géologie et de climatologie Asiatiques
  • Volume 2
  • Alexander von Humboldt
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 2012
    First published in:
    1831
  • Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was one of the most respected scientists of his day, influencing the work of Darwin. He is considered the founder of physical geography, climatology, ecology and oceanography. In 1829, the Russian government invited Humboldt to visit the gold and platinum mines in the Urals. As he studied the mountains' mineral wealth, he was the first to predict the presence of diamonds. During six months, his epic 10,000-mile expedition took him as far as the Altai Mountains and the Chinese frontier. Humboldt's observations on the geography, volcanic geology and meteorology of Central Asia, being then a largely unexplored territory, were acknowledged as pioneering contributions. The results of his journey also provided much of the data used in part of his great work Kosmos. The second volume of this book, published in 1831, deals with the hydrology and climatology of Central Asia.

Essai géognostique sur le gisement des roches dans les deux hémisphères
  • Alexander von Humboldt
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    12 July 2012
    First published in:
    1826
  • Prussian explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was described by Darwin as 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. His boundless curiosity as well as his scientific and cultural knowledge helped lay the foundations of physical geography, climatology, ecology and oceanography. In 1799, Humboldt embarked on a five-year trip to explore Central and South America. He devoted a large amount of time to the study of géognosie, the science of the origin and distribution of minerals and rocks forming the earth, later known as geology. In 1805, Humboldt published his first impressions of volcanoes and earthquakes in the Americas in his Personal Narrative. In this 1826 work, he makes the first systematic attempt to compare the rocks of the Old and New Worlds. This groundbreaking analysis became one of the most important geological works of its time.

Études sur les glaciers
  • Louis Agassiz
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    05 July 2012
    First published in:
    1840
  • Swiss-born zoologist, geologist and paleontologist Louis Agassiz (1807–73) was among the foremost scientists of his day. When he took up the study of glaciology and glacial geomorphology in Switzerland in 1836, he recorded evidence left by former glaciers, such as glacial erratics, drumlins and rock scouring and scratching. In this work, published in 1840, he proposed a revolutionary ice-age theory, according to which, glaciers are the remaining portions of sheets of ice which once covered the earth. His radical suggestion undermined the hypothesis that landscape features were the result of a great biblical flood. Although Agassiz's invaluable work led some to acclaim him as the 'father' of glacial theory, critics have cited the contributions of others, including Jean de Charpentier and Karl Schimper. The book also describes the features of active glaciers, including ice tables, ice pinnacles and moraines.

Plant Life Through the Ages
  • A Geological and Botanical Retrospect
  • A. C. Seward
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    31 October 2010
    First published in:
    1931
  • Published in 1931 to complement Seward's magisterial four-volume textbook Fossil Plants, this book is a digest of his earlier detailed study, written for a non-specialist audience as an introduction to the field of palaeobotany. Seward begins by describing the basics of geology and palaeobotany in order to explain how the interpretation of fossilised plant remains found in rocks can shed light on the natural world of prehistoric times. He then covers geological periods in chronological sequence, from the Pre-Cambrian to the Quaternary. Throughout, he emphasises the fragmentary nature of the evidence and the difficulties in extrapolating from the surviving fossil record, but he also explains the great discoveries made in the field and how they came about. The accompanying drawings give an impression of the likely combinations of plants found in each period, allowing the reader to visualise the different landscapes evoked in Seward's engaging prose.

The Climate of London
  • Deduced from Meteorological Observations
  • Volume 2
  • Luke Howard
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1818
  • The 'student of clouds' Luke Howard (1772–1864) published this work of statistics on weather conditions in London in two volumes, in 1818 and 1820. Howard was by profession an industrial chemist, but his great interest in meteorology led to his studies on clouds (also reissued in this series), and his devising of the system of Latin cloud names which was adopted internationally and is still in use. Volume 2 contains a preface in which Howard discusses the reasons for the order of presentation of his material, which, he disarmingly admits with hindsight, might have been improved. The tabular material in this volume, supplied with notes and commentary citing published reports from around Europe, comes from observations made at Tottenham in the period 1817–19. This historic material will be of interest to environmental scientists as well as to those interested in the history of meteorology.

Tableaux de la nature
  • Ou, Considerations sur les déserts, sur la physionomie des végétaux, et sur les cataractes de l'Orénoque
  • Alexander von Humboldt
  • Translated by J. B. B. Eyriès
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1828
  • Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived' according to Darwin, made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of geography, oceanography, climatology and ecology. In 1804, he returned from a five-year exploration of Latin America with an incredible wealth of specimens and data which provided the foundations for his theories on the natural order. He expounds them in this book, which was printed in German in 1808 before being translated by the geographer Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès (1767–1846) and published in French in 1828. Humboldt does more than provide descriptions of the great features and phenomena of the Earth, ranging from the geological character of immense plains and steppes to the structure and action of volcanoes. He combines a rigorous scientific approach with his emotional and aesthetic responses to the natural world, thereby constructing a true 'philosophy of nature'.

The Great Ice Age and its Relation to the Antiquity of Man
  • James Geikie
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1874
  • James Geikie (1839–1915) was born in Edinburgh, and his work from 1861 as a field geologist for the Geological Survey in Scotland provided the evidence for the theories he proposes in this work, first published in 1874 (revised editions appeared in 1877 and 1894). Geikie brought together his own research and the findings of other geologists in Scotland to support his main thesis of 'drift' being evidence of the action not of sea ice but of land ice. He was influenced by James Croll's theory that changes in the Earth's orbit led to epochs of cold climate in one hemisphere and warm in the other, and Geikie believed that the geological record provided evidence for inter-glacial periods. The book was hailed as a breakthrough at the time, and brought the author international recognition. With intricate scientific theories explained in clear uncluttered language, this remains a classic text.

A Selection of the Geological Memoirs Contained in the Annales des Mines
  • Edited and translated by Henry T. De la Beche
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1824
  • Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796–1855) was a talented and influential geologist. A friend of Mary Anning, he produced the famous lithograph Duria antiquior (1830), the first reconstruction of a scene from an ancient world, to support her work. He promoted government involvement in geology and became the founding Director of the British Geological Survey, which was officially recognised in 1835. Inspired by his work in Cornwall, he later founded the Royal School of Mines and the Museum of Practical Geology. Among his published works was a Manual of Geology (1831), which went through three English editions and was published in France, Germany and America. This 1824 collection of translations includes studies on sites across Europe and notes on the production of an early geological map of France. He also provides a table of equivalent formations and a translation of Brongniart's Classification of the Mixed Rocks.

A Long Life's Work
  • An Autobiography
  • Archibald Geikie
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1924
  • Despite never graduating from university, Sir Archibald Geikie (1835–1924) forged an exceptionally successful scientific career. In 1855 he was appointed to the Scottish branch of the Geological Survey, and by 1882 was Director General of the Survey. In keeping with his Edinburgh beginnings, most of his career was spent studying igneous rocks. He was a prolific and gifted writer, producing textbooks, popular science books and biographical and historical works, including the influential Founders of Geology (1897), as well as numerous technical publications. The only geologist to hold the post of President of The Royal Society (1908–12), he also served as President of the Geological Society of London and the British Association, and received an array of honorary degrees and medals. This autobiography, published in the year of his death, provides a readable, personal account of the life of one of the great scientific figures of the nineteenth century.

Island Life
  • Or, The Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras, Including a Revision and Attempted Solution of the Problem of Geological Climates
  • Alfred Russel Wallace
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 2012
    First published in:
    1880
  • First published in 1880, this study of the biology and geography of islands investigates some of the most pressing questions of nineteenth-century natural science. Why do countries as far-flung as Britain and Japan share similar flora and fauna when those of neighbouring islands in Malaysia are utterly unalike? What is the origin of life in New Zealand? And why do the geological formations of Scotland and Wales appear to be the result of glaciers when those countries lie in the temperate zone? Dismissing popular theories of submerged continents and 'special creation', Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) presents extensive evidence of the mass migration of species, and of drastic and repeated climatic changes across the globe. Drawing on a vast range of sources and the newest ocean soundings to support his theories, Wallace wrote the text for the intelligent general reader. It remains a fascinating introduction to the subject matter today.

Volcanoes and Earthquakes
  • Frédéric Zurcher, Elie Margollé
  • Translated by Winifred Lockyer
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    07 June 2012
    First published in:
    1868
  • The original French edition of this book appeared in 1866 as part of Hachette's extensive, popularising Bibliothèque des Merveilles series, which included several science titles by Frédéric Zurcher (1816–90) and Elie Margollé (1816–84). Their books were illustrated with attractive wood-cuts, and remained in print until the 1880s; they were also translated into English. This volume was published in London in 1868, and is a good example of popular science publishing in Victorian Britain. The material is organised geographically, beginning in Europe with Vesuvius, Etna and Icelandic volcanoes including Hecla, all of which had recently seen major eruptions. The authors quote from eyewitness accounts, and refer to scholarly publications on volcanoes including Darwin (1844) and Scrope (1862), also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Later chapters describe oceanic volcanoes, the Andes, the volcanic zone of New Zealand's North Island, and recently discovered volcanoes such as Mt Erebus in Antarctica.

On the Geological Structure of the Alps, Apennines and Carpathians
  • More Especially to Prove a Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Rocks, and the Development of Eocene Deposits in Southern Europe
  • Roderick Impey Murchison
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1849
  • Few men were better placed to produce an authoritative study of Continental geology than Roderick Impey Murchison (1792–1871), President of the Geological Society and the Royal Geographical Society of London. Having conducted extensive fieldwork alongside Adam Sedgwick, in 1847 Murchison set out on a study tour that would change the manner in which geology was understood and debated. Delivered before the Geological Society and published in their Quarterly Journal in 1849, this paper challenged received wisdom as to the age and formation of the most impressive of geological phenomena. Covering crystalline and palaeozoic rocks, the Trias, iron mines, nummulitic rocks and fish slates, this landmark study and its numerous diagrams that illustrate it not only explain a geological subject, but also reveal the nature of nineteenth-century scientific scholarship. The book also contains a short supplementary paper on the distribution of surface detritus in the Alps.

A Geognostical Essay on the Superposition of Rocks in Both Hemispheres
  • Alexander von Humboldt
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    12 July 2012
    First published in:
    1823
  • The explorer and multi-disciplinary scientist Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was a prominent figure in the European scientific community of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the first to make a scientific survey of South and Central America. His travels alone brought him widespread recognition, but the extensive field notes and research he undertook were developed further on his return. Originally published in French and translated in 1823, this work brought his geological speculations to a British audience. Humboldt explores the positioning of different types of rocks across the globe, and the causes behind these formations. He also hypothesises that the flora of these areas are affected by the geology, which in turn is influenced by the thermal currents of the earth's molten core. These insights into rock formations are also key to Humboldt's theory of continental drift, now recognised as resulting from the shifting of the continental plates.

Page 3 of 8