November 16, 2013

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Cabinet of Curiosities #3:Awful Changes

Cabinet of curiosities proudly presents… This Week Geohistory: November 15, 1835: the “RMS Beagle” arrives to Tahiti, where a geologizing Darwin tests his famous reef-evolution-theory November 14, 1797: Birthday of Sir Charles Lyell, he is best known for introducing uniformitarianism in geology, however he was also interested in the enigmatic origin of Loess, a windblown [...]

By David Bressan

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Cabinet of curiosities proudly presents...

This Week Geohistory:

  • November 15, 1835: the "RMS Beagle" arrives to Tahiti, where a geologizing Darwin tests his famous reef-evolution-theory

  • November 14, 1797: Birthday of Sir Charles Lyell, he is best known for introducing uniformitarianism in geology, however he was also interested in the enigmatic origin of Loess, a windblown sediment that Lyell however thought as deposited by rivers and in lakes

  • November 14, 1963: marks the "birthday" of the volcanic island of Surtsey

  • November 13, 1985: A series of lahars triggered by the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz kill 22.000 people

  • November 11, 1918: World War I ends - the Great War changed landscapes and even mountains forever

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This Week Geonews:

This Week Geopapers:

My name is David Bressan and I'm a freelance geologist working mainly in the Austroalpine crystalline rocks and the South Alpine Palaeozoic and Mesozoic cover-sediments in the Eastern Alps. I graduated with a project on Rock Glaciers dynamics and hydrology, this phase left a special interest for quaternary deposits and modern glacial environments. During my research on glaciers, studying old maps, photography and reports on the former extent of these features, I became interested in history, especially the development of geomorphologic and geological concepts by naturalists and geologists. Living in one of the key area for the history of geology, I combine field trips with the historic research done in these regions, accompanied by historic maps and depictions. I discuss broadly also general geological concepts, especially in glaciology, seismology, volcanology, palaeontology and the relationship of society and geology.

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