Paleontology

Great site. I loved it. Thanks.
(Java should be enabled to display maps fully.)

Maps
PIFFKA :

Thank you very much for the Paleo map site. I will use this

to explain to my grand children how the continents were formed.

A fantastic site in which, by simply scrolling the mouse we can
span the eons of time in just a few seconds. ([email protected])

Thanks, Piffka!

Although, at least here in Europe, Paleontology isn't taught in History Departments but part of Geology or Biology (depends on the universities) faculties.

RonMac -- I'm pleased you found the site helpful. I enjoyed scrolling through the eons, too. You may also find something from this discussion with Charles Pellegrino of interest to your grandchildren.

http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/issues/v68/n38/lecture.38n.html

Walter, I don't think paleontology is taught in History departments in the US, either. Does it say something in one of the links that made you think it was? At my old school it is taught mostly through the Geology department, though there seems to be a segment in Anthropology.

Not at all, Piffka. It's only because you posted this thread in the History Category :wink:

Oh! I see! I was searching for the best place and landed here so as to keep it out of General News (as instructed). Mea culpa.

I'm now reading "The Map That Changed the World" by Simon Winchester. The subject is "Geology" and the founder of that science, William Smith. It speaks to the subject of fossils, because William Smith was a surveyor for coal mines in England, and eventually realized that the geology makeup of England was the same throughout, and expanded that idea to the whole planet. For those interested in such things, I highly recommend this book. It even talks about Charles Darwin, and how William Smith influenced Darwin's investigations into "The Origin of Species." c.i.

c.i.

Smith developed the science of stratigraphy, but founder of geology?
Even the British themselves acknowledge James Hutton (1726-1797), a Scotsman, as the founder of the modern study of geology.

Walter, This is from the inside flap of the cover of the book; "From the author of the bestselling "The Professor and the Madman" comes the fascinating story of William Smtih, the orphaned son of a English country blacksmith, who became obsessed with creating the world's fist geological map and ultimately became the father of modern geology." However, in your defense, the book does mention James Hutton, the Scot's doctor, who published "The Theory of the Earth," which "sought" to explain the internal discordance among strata. It was, William Smith, however, who drew the map that changed the world of geology. c.i.

c.i.

There's some nice information here:
The Early Development of Modern Geology

William "strata" smith is the first stratigrapher. The actual founder of geology is a fuzzy conjecture by science historians. Some give credit to Nicholas Steno as the founder of one of the ancestors of Economic Geology, Gaston du Lac, for his treatise that separated the science from its schism with "theology", or even Leonardo. However, by crediting Leonardo via his writings in the Leicester Codex, we would celebrate a man whose theories were, not really that unique and, wherever he was unique, he was mostly incorrect.

the "theory" of plate tectonics has , for those of you who follow these things, been proposed to be elevated from theory to law, because it has become the basis by which modern geology is being rewritten.
My field especially, economic geology, has been radically changed . We no longer muse about possible ore bodies from the local geology, we now look at the tectonic context of the entire area and its margins to theorize where economic deposits may be located.
Very cool maps and sites piffka, thanks.

farmerman, With your knowledge of "economic geology," who would you credit as "The Father of Modern Geology?" c.i.

c. i. My (personal ref only) vote would be for nicholas Steno. In the early days of the Rennaissance, many people were going around saying things that would be preserved and hailed as deep insights. many times, like Leonardo , you study their words in context and they dont really appear that profound.
Steno, instead, had captured the ideas of true scientific inquiry by posing options and theories as to how sediments were deposited and preserved, how minerals come together in sediments and in volcanoes to form rocks, and a few other things that I forget right now. His work "On Stones" is a good insight into ore extraction and, an was a clear handbook of the practical, as opposed to the more theoretical statements of others. Many of the theoreticians tried to find a place of coexistence for the religious revelations and findings of science

Other than Steno, I think that the real secular, scientific inquiry of geology began with the musings of the rich farmer(and great underachiever) James Hutton who, by looking at the rocks of Scotland, and the layers and erosion of rocks and soils, came up with the conclusion that a benevolent God didnt have a hand in all the processes that Hutton saw going on around him. Hutton saw that sedimentary rocks were layed down in water and in layers. Then these were uplifted by some "engine of uplift' . AND, most importantly, Hutton saw this occuring over and over again . This led him to his really big idea that the earth was much, much older than everyone then thought( the accepted date of the formation of the earth was oct 23 4004 BC). By doing so, Hutton challenged the dogma of the day and began the concept of the "field trip" to look at rocks.
With Hutton , the number of scientific papers devoted to geology began to blossom and Universities slowly began to add natuarl history coursework which were of a pure scientific and observational nature.

farmerman, Greatly appreciate your insight on this subject. As a newbie freshly exposed to this subject from one book, and the thesis leaning towards one individual, William Smith, I wanted to hear what somebody with more experience in this subject would conclude. Your perspective will allow me to complete the book with another perspective. Thanks, c.i.

ci- i just heard about 2 new books, one on the life of Hutton called "The Man who Found Time" and the other about Steno.(Dont know the title of that one)
Both books loudly stump for their subject to wear the title of the 'Father of Modern Geology". Its amazing, they just showed up in the book reviews. Ive been looking for some books for vacation reading I hope they arent too expensive,
Right now Im kind of on a rant about books. Im getting quite angry at how prices on books have really skyrocketed in the last 2 years. I just bought a new reference text on mine waste treatment. Cost me over 250 bucks , and the damn thing is a collection of trite papers edited by some university type who's obviously never been in the mine pits.

College textbooks have always been outrageously priced, and they get away with it. Even during my college days, I always bought the used ones if the professor continued to use it in his/her class. c.i.

I have enjoyed reading the recent posts from Cicerone,Farmerman,
and Walter. Piffca's wonderful scrollable map was especially exciting as it allowed me to see what the earth looked like when a meteor collided a few miles from where we now live.

Over at the university they say that the meteor was about 25K's in diameter and the date of landing was 118 million years ago. It must have penetrated quite deep since it allowed the eruption of
molten igneous ore to move toward the surface. To-day there is a 24 hour mining operation in the area, in which ore is blasted and
moved to a plant where molten metal (almost pure nickel) is poured into ingots for use in the steel industry.

Although there is some soil in the area, the city seems to be built on solid crater-like rock. It is called Sudbury, with a population of 160,000.

I have enjoyed reading the recent posts from Cicerone,Farmerman,
and Walter. Piffca's wonderful scrollable map was especially exciting as it allowed me to see what the earth looked like when a meteor collided a few miles from where we now live.

Over at the university they say that the meteor was about 25K's in diameter and the date of landing was 118 million years ago. It must have penetrated quite deep since it allowed the eruption of
molten igneous ore to move toward the surface. To-day there is a 24 hour mining operation in the area, in which ore is blasted and
moved to a plant where molten metal (almost pure nickel) is poured into ingots for use in the steel industry.

Although there is some soil in the area, the city seems to be built on solid crater-like rock. It is called Sudbury, with a population of 160,000.

ronmac-The Sudbury impact crater is the second biggest one on earth, smaller only than the Vredefoort crater in South Africa. Its also the BIGGEST producer of ores about 2.5 Billion uS$ per year. (I used to work in platinum prospects up there )
however , most of the guys that study impacts , have dated the Sudbury craters formation at 2 bILLION years ago, not 118 million. Thats why its been smooshed around by deformation in the Grenville orogeny which was about 1.1 Billion years ago and subsequent orogenies in the Appalachians. its also one of the biggest areal sections in which really good quality lapis and gem quality feldspars are found. i used to pick up chunks of lapis in mine void areas and I have a lifetimes supply of rock tumbler material to make chochkies for the family ladies.
Theres a really good book that, although its written about an impact crater in the Chesapeake, quickly runs out of material and discusses all meteorite hits and their consequences. the Book is titled 'The Chesapeake Invader' 9hokey title and crappy clip art graphics, but its a good read about impact craters on earth. Its written by a uSGS colleague named, ready for this? Wiley Poag. (sounds like a bush pilots name but hes a real investigator in these matters and like the late Gene Showmaker, he quietly presents his data with good research.