Abstract
LONDON.
Geological Society, May 16Dr. Alfred Harker, president, in the chair.T. Sheppard: British geological maps as a record of the advance of geology. Geological changes were often indicated on old topographical maps; consequently, old plans and charts were of, use in connection with geological inquiries. Some maps, dating from Elizabethan times, show that in the Humber area great changes have taken place; large tracts of land have been denuded, and many towns and villages have disappeared; and large stretches of reclaimed land marked places where water once stood. Writers of 1595 were familiar with lithological differences in various parts of the country. Strachey (1719) and Packe (743) produced some remarkable geological sections and plans. The first systematic series of maps, illustrating the geological features of the counties, was issued in the reports of the old Board of Agriculture, and dated from i7eto 1822. One of the earliest attempts to prepare geo.. logical maps was by Prof. Jameson, who read a paper in 1805 “ On Colouring Geognostical Maps” (Wernerian Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. 1., published i8i i). The first strictly geological map was apparently that made by W. Smith in showing the geological structure of the Bath district. The first geological map of England and Wales was a small one, also by Smith, and it was presented to the society when the first Wollaston medal was awarded to Smith in 1831. The, society's collection includes geological maps of Scotland and Ireland, some of great value and his-torical interest. As examples of privately published maps, those by Sanders of the Bristol Coalfieid, Jordan's London district, and Elias Hall's Lancashire area were described.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 99, 279–280 (1917). https://doi.org/10.1038/099279a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/099279a0