History of Geology

Author: Seo Sanghyeon

Geology in the West

Modern Geology

The big idea

The big idea in Geology:

The Earth is old.

Geological processes

Shen Kuo

Shen Kuo(심괄; 沈括) was a Chinese scientist of the 11th century. His work, Meng Xi Bi Tan(몽계필담; 夢溪筆談), contains his scientific writings.

He mentions all of Hutton's geological processes, and even discusses climate change.

Erosion

原其理, 當是為谷中大水沖激, 沙土盡去, 唯巨石巋然挺立耳.

The reason is that at the time, flood rushed violently into the valley, so sand and soil have gone, and only huge rocks stood upright.

Meng Xi Bi Tan, Volume 24
몽계필담 하 122쪽

원기리, 당시위곡중대수충격, 사토진거, 유거석규연정립이.

그 까닭은 그 때에 큰물이 거세게 골짜기 안으로 흘러내려 모래와 흙이 없어지고 오직 커다란 돌만 남았기 때문이다.

Sedimentation and Uplift

余奉使河北, 邊太行而北, 山崖之間, 往往銜螺蚌殼及石子如鳥卵者, 橫亙石壁如帶. 此乃昔之海濱, 今東距海已近千里. 所謂大陸者, 皆濁泥所湮耳.

When I was in Hebei, I went north, Taihang Mountains on one side, and between cliffs, often seashells and stones like bird's eggs crossed stone walls like a belt. Once this was the seashore, now a thousand li east of the sea. So-called continents are all submerged mud.

Meng Xi Bi Tan, Volume 24
몽계필담 하 119쪽

여봉사하북, 변태행이북, 산애지간, 왕왕함라방각급석자여조란자, 횡긍석벽여대. 차내석지해빈, 금동거해이근천리. 소위대륙자, 개탁니소인이.

내가 하북에 있을 때 태행산을 한편에 두고 북으로 가는데 산 절벽 사이에 종종 조개껍질과 새알 같은 돌이 띠처럼 석벽을 가로질렀다. 이곳은 한때 바닷가였지만 이제는 바다에서 동으로 천 리나 떨어져 있다. 이른바 대륙이라는 것은 모두 진흙이 가라앉은 것이다.

Climate Change

近歲延州永寧關大河岸崩, 入地數十尺, 土下得竹筍一林. 延郡素無竹, 此入在數十尺土下, 不知其何代物. 無乃曠古以前, 地卑氣濕而宜竹耶?

There is no bamboo in Yan'an, so I don't know which period it is from, this thing tens of chi under the Earth. Isn't it that a long time ago, the land was low and the weather was wet, so (the climate) was proper to bamboo?

Meng Xi Bi Tan, Volume 21
몽계필담 하 81쪽

근세연주영녕관대하안붕, 입지수십척, 토하득죽순일림. 연군소무죽, 차입재수십척토하, 부지기하대물. 무내광고이전, 지비기습이의죽야?

옌안에는 대나무가 없는데 이 수십 척 땅 아래 것은 어느 때 것인지 알 수 없다. 먼 옛날 땅은 낮고 날씨는 습해 대나무에 알맞았던 것은 아닌가?

James Hutton

James Hutton was a Scottish geologist of the 18th century, who is considered the father of modern geology.

He thought heat in the interior of the Earth played an important role in creating new rocks. He looked for evidences in the form of unconformities.

Theory of the Earth

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Theory of the Earth

Hence we are led to conclude, that the greater part of our land, if not the whole had been produced by operations natural to this globe; but that in order to make this land a permanent body, resisting the operations of the waters, two things had been required; 1st, The consolidation of masses formed by collections of loose or incoherent materials; 2dly, The elevation of those consolidated masses from the bottom of the sea, the place where they were collected, to the stations in which they now remain above the level of the ocean.

William Smith

William Smith was an English geologist. He created the first nationwide geological map.

He was a professional geologist, working for Somersetshire Coal Canal Company. Industrial revolution made geological survey profitable.

Strata of England and Wales

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Culture and Geology

Noah's flood was one time destructive process, by divine intervention.

桑田碧海, 滄海桑田(A mulberry field becomes the sea, the sea becomes a mulberry field) implies a cyclic process, by natural means.

Culture and Geology

Hutton had to defend his theory, because it was heretical.

Smith made the first geological map, because it was of practical importance.

References