History of Geology
@historyofgeology.bsky.social
A channel dedicated to the #History of #Earth #Sciences 🌍 run by an Alpine #Rock G(e)o(logist)at ⛰️🔨🐐
November 28, 1872, Scottish science writer and polymath Mary Somerville died on this day.
Her “Physical Geography” (1848) was the first textbook on the topic in English and her most popular work 🌐
Her “Physical Geography” (1848) was the first textbook on the topic in English and her most popular work 🌐
November 29, 2025 at 1:49 PM
November 28, 1872, Scottish science writer and polymath Mary Somerville died on this day.
Her “Physical Geography” (1848) was the first textbook on the topic in English and her most popular work 🌐
Her “Physical Geography” (1848) was the first textbook on the topic in English and her most popular work 🌐
November 28, 1854, birthday of Dunkinfield Henry Scott, pioneer of paleobotany & fossil plants taxonomy 🌱 #FossilFriday
academic.oup.com/aob/article-...
academic.oup.com/aob/article-...
November 28, 2025 at 12:05 PM
November 28, 1854, birthday of Dunkinfield Henry Scott, pioneer of paleobotany & fossil plants taxonomy 🌱 #FossilFriday
academic.oup.com/aob/article-...
academic.oup.com/aob/article-...
His travel accounts will inspire generations of later naturalists, including Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin, and help geologists to explain the Dolomites as fossil reefs 🏝️
www.bressan-geoconsult.eu/the-dolomite...
www.bressan-geoconsult.eu/the-dolomite...
November 27, 2025 at 4:56 PM
His travel accounts will inspire generations of later naturalists, including Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin, and help geologists to explain the Dolomites as fossil reefs 🏝️
www.bressan-geoconsult.eu/the-dolomite...
www.bressan-geoconsult.eu/the-dolomite...
November 27, 1754, birthday of German naturalist Georg Forster.
In 1775, he departed together with his father on board HMS Resolution on a three-year expedition into the Pacific Ocean.
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In 1775, he departed together with his father on board HMS Resolution on a three-year expedition into the Pacific Ocean.
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November 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
November 27, 1754, birthday of German naturalist Georg Forster.
In 1775, he departed together with his father on board HMS Resolution on a three-year expedition into the Pacific Ocean.
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In 1775, he departed together with his father on board HMS Resolution on a three-year expedition into the Pacific Ocean.
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November 27, 1701, birthday of Swedish physicist Anders Celsius of Celsius temperature degree scale fame.
He also studied land-uplift with the help of a rock:
www.sealevelrise.com/2014/01/03/t...
He also studied land-uplift with the help of a rock:
www.sealevelrise.com/2014/01/03/t...
November 27, 2025 at 11:11 AM
November 27, 1701, birthday of Swedish physicist Anders Celsius of Celsius temperature degree scale fame.
He also studied land-uplift with the help of a rock:
www.sealevelrise.com/2014/01/03/t...
He also studied land-uplift with the help of a rock:
www.sealevelrise.com/2014/01/03/t...
"Map of the World showing the distribution of Volcanoes and Earthquakes" by George W. Fitch for "Outlines of Physical Geography" (1868) 🌋
November 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
"Map of the World showing the distribution of Volcanoes and Earthquakes" by George W. Fitch for "Outlines of Physical Geography" (1868) 🌋
November 26, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Omori’s Law (and derived versions) is a fundamental empirical rule in seismology that describes how aftershocks decay over time: Aftershocks are most frequent immediately after the main earthquake and their frequency drops quickly at first, then gradually slows down, following a logarithmic curve.
November 25, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Omori’s Law (and derived versions) is a fundamental empirical rule in seismology that describes how aftershocks decay over time: Aftershocks are most frequent immediately after the main earthquake and their frequency drops quickly at first, then gradually slows down, following a logarithmic curve.
Studying this seismic sequence, Japanese seismologist Fusakichi Omori formulated what is now known as Omori’s law.
November 25, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Studying this seismic sequence, Japanese seismologist Fusakichi Omori formulated what is now known as Omori’s law.
On November 25, 1930, the Izu Peninsula (Japan) was struck by more than 690 earthquakes in less than 24 hours. The largest shock, a magnitude 7.3 event, killed 272 people and caused widespread destruction.
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November 25, 2025 at 10:40 AM
On November 25, 1930, the Izu Peninsula (Japan) was struck by more than 690 earthquakes in less than 24 hours. The largest shock, a magnitude 7.3 event, killed 272 people and caused widespread destruction.
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November 24, 1859, first publication of Charles #Darwin’s Origin of Species 📚 & it all started with a geological field trip 🪨🔨
www.forbes.com/sites/davidb...
www.forbes.com/sites/davidb...
November 24, 2025 at 5:06 PM
November 24, 1859, first publication of Charles #Darwin’s Origin of Species 📚 & it all started with a geological field trip 🪨🔨
www.forbes.com/sites/davidb...
www.forbes.com/sites/davidb...
November 24, 1974, the first fossils of an Australopithecus afarensis specimen - nicknamed Lucy after the Beatles song that was frequently played at the excavation camp - were discovered 💀
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
November 24, 2025 at 4:46 PM
November 24, 1974, the first fossils of an Australopithecus afarensis specimen - nicknamed Lucy after the Beatles song that was frequently played at the excavation camp - were discovered 💀
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
The earthquake generated a 25 kilometers long fault escarpment displacing the ground by 0.5-1.5 meters 📷 by Paolo Galli.
November 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The earthquake generated a 25 kilometers long fault escarpment displacing the ground by 0.5-1.5 meters 📷 by Paolo Galli.
The shaking was so strong that the needle of a seismometer station located near the epicenter broke off.
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November 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The shaking was so strong that the needle of a seismometer station located near the epicenter broke off.
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November 23, 1980, a major earthquake with magnitude ~ 6.9. struck southern Italy.
It caused around 2,400 deaths, thousands injured, and massive destruction with tens of thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed.
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It caused around 2,400 deaths, thousands injured, and massive destruction with tens of thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed.
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November 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM
November 23, 1980, a major earthquake with magnitude ~ 6.9. struck southern Italy.
It caused around 2,400 deaths, thousands injured, and massive destruction with tens of thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed.
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It caused around 2,400 deaths, thousands injured, and massive destruction with tens of thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed.
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November 22, 1842, contemporary sources describe clouds of ash "rolling up in great masses, wreathing as smoke from a pipe does, but on an enormous scale" over Washington and Oregon - one of the early documented eruptive episodes of St. Helens (who repeated this spectacle 138 years later)🌋
November 22, 2025 at 12:58 PM
November 22, 1842, contemporary sources describe clouds of ash "rolling up in great masses, wreathing as smoke from a pipe does, but on an enormous scale" over Washington and Oregon - one of the early documented eruptive episodes of St. Helens (who repeated this spectacle 138 years later)🌋
November 22, 1988, died #OTD Australian anatomist & anthropologist Raymond Dart, best known for his involvement in the 1924 discovery of the 1st fossils of Australopithecus africanus, an extinct hominin closely related to humans.
November 22, 2025 at 11:14 AM
November 22, 1988, died #OTD Australian anatomist & anthropologist Raymond Dart, best known for his involvement in the 1924 discovery of the 1st fossils of Australopithecus africanus, an extinct hominin closely related to humans.
November 21, 1898, birthday of Belgian surrealist René Magritte.
"The Castle of the Pyrenees" - the painting is one of several Magritte works depicting floating stones, which were a frequent theme in his 1950s work, symbolizing impossible dreams 🪨
"The Castle of the Pyrenees" - the painting is one of several Magritte works depicting floating stones, which were a frequent theme in his 1950s work, symbolizing impossible dreams 🪨
November 21, 2025 at 4:45 PM
November 21, 1898, birthday of Belgian surrealist René Magritte.
"The Castle of the Pyrenees" - the painting is one of several Magritte works depicting floating stones, which were a frequent theme in his 1950s work, symbolizing impossible dreams 🪨
"The Castle of the Pyrenees" - the painting is one of several Magritte works depicting floating stones, which were a frequent theme in his 1950s work, symbolizing impossible dreams 🪨
These eruptions, which occurred between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago, have left behind a wide variety of volcanic formations, including lava tubes, cinder cones, spatter cones, pit craters, hornitos (lava mounds), maars, and Aa lava flows.
November 21, 2025 at 10:49 AM
These eruptions, which occurred between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago, have left behind a wide variety of volcanic formations, including lava tubes, cinder cones, spatter cones, pit craters, hornitos (lava mounds), maars, and Aa lava flows.
On November 21, 1925, Lava Beds National Monument was established in northeastern California, preserving a fascinating volcanic landscape shaped by eruptions from the Medicine Lake Volcano.
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November 21, 2025 at 10:48 AM
On November 21, 1925, Lava Beds National Monument was established in northeastern California, preserving a fascinating volcanic landscape shaped by eruptions from the Medicine Lake Volcano.
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It eventually reached nearly 305 meters (1000 feet) above the crater floor. In 1986 it partially collapsed. Just three years later a series of new domes started to grow, slowly rebuilding the mountain 🌋
November 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM
It eventually reached nearly 305 meters (1000 feet) above the crater floor. In 1986 it partially collapsed. Just three years later a series of new domes started to grow, slowly rebuilding the mountain 🌋
Around November 20, 1980, a lava dome starts to grow inside what remains of Mount St. Helens after its catastrophic eruption six months earlier.
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November 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Around November 20, 1980, a lava dome starts to grow inside what remains of Mount St. Helens after its catastrophic eruption six months earlier.
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The famous illustration of the Megalosaurus jaw - the first described carnivorous dinosaur - was made by her.
November 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The famous illustration of the Megalosaurus jaw - the first described carnivorous dinosaur - was made by her.
November 20, 1797, birthday of British paleontologist, marine biologist and scientific artist Mary Morland Buckland.
Mostly self-educated, Mary Morland started her career as a teenager producing illustrations and providing fossil specimens and models for other naturalists.
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Mostly self-educated, Mary Morland started her career as a teenager producing illustrations and providing fossil specimens and models for other naturalists.
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November 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
November 20, 1797, birthday of British paleontologist, marine biologist and scientific artist Mary Morland Buckland.
Mostly self-educated, Mary Morland started her career as a teenager producing illustrations and providing fossil specimens and models for other naturalists.
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Mostly self-educated, Mary Morland started her career as a teenager producing illustrations and providing fossil specimens and models for other naturalists.
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November 19, 1822, an estimated magnitude 8 earthquake hits Chile. This event was described by traveler, botanist & author María Callcot Graham. She speculated that earthquakes are caused by "upheavals" of Earth's crust and are also responsible for mountain building ⛰︎
November 19, 2025 at 8:26 PM
November 19, 1822, an estimated magnitude 8 earthquake hits Chile. This event was described by traveler, botanist & author María Callcot Graham. She speculated that earthquakes are caused by "upheavals" of Earth's crust and are also responsible for mountain building ⛰︎