A Brief History of Geology

275 Pages·2018·30.462 MB·English

by  Kieran D. O’Hara

A Brief History of Geology
Geology as a science has a fascinating and controversial history.
Kieran D. O’Hara’s book provides a brief and accessible account of
the major events in the history of geology over the last 200 years –
from early theories of Earth’s structure during the Reformation,
through major controversies over the age of the Earth during the
IndustrialRevolution,tothemorerecenttwentieth-centurydevelop-
mentofplatetectonictheory,andontocurrentideasconcerningthe
Anthropocene. Most chapters include a short feature box providing
moretechnicalanddetailedelaborationsonselectedtopics.Thebook
also includes a history of the geology of the Moon, a topic not nor-
mally included in books on the history of geology. The book will
appeal to students of Earth science, researchers in geology who wish
to learn more about the history of their subject, and general readers
interestedinthehistoryofscience.
 . ’ isProfessorEmeritusintheDepartmentofEarth
and Environmental Sciences at the University of Kentucky. He has
published more than 40 articles in international journals and has
receivednumerousresearchawardsfromtheAmericanNationalSci-
ence Foundation. He taught geology at undergraduate and graduate
levels at the University of Kentucky for 30 years. His other books
include Cave Art and Climate Change (2014) and Earth Resources
andEnvironmentalImpacts(2014).
‘O’Haradoesagreatjobofcoveringboththeold(late1800s)andthe
new (1960-1970) history of geology. Included are informative, but
concise,biographiesofallthemajorplayersinthenineteenthand
twentieth centuries. The author shows very clearly how Wegner’s
continentaldrift–whichwasnotoriginallyacceptedbythescientific
community–cametogetherwithHarryHess’sseafloorspreadingin
the 1970s, and led tothe “Great Plate Tectonic Revolution” in the
Earthsciences.Ireallylikedthechapteronisotopicdating,wherethe
authorclearlyexplainshowgeologistslearnedtouseisotopestodate
geologicevents–nootherbookonthehistoryofgeologyillustrates
thissoclearly.’
–KentCondie,NewMexicoInstituteofMiningandTechnology
‘Thenearlyfour-centuryexistenceofgeologyasaconcept–“thestudy
oftheEarthwithitsFurniture”asitwasfirstput–hasbeenmiredin
periods of uncertainty, revolution, speculation and controversy.
O’Hara has tied it all up in a concise, neatly arranged and highly
readable summary, essential to all who want to know more of the
fascinatingstoryofthismostfundamentalofsciences.’
–SimonWinchester,authorofTheMapThatChangedtheWorld
A Brief History of Geology
  ’
.
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107176188
DOI:10.1017/9781316809990
©KieranD.O’Hara2018
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2018
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabySheridanBooks,Inc.
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Names:O’Hara,KieranD.,author.
Title:Abriefhistoryofgeology/byKieranD.O’Hara.
Description:Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2018.|
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2017051822|ISBN9781107176188(hardback:alk.paper)|
ISBN9781316628294(pbk.:alk.paper)
Subjects:LCSH:Geology–History.|Geologists–Biography.
Classification:LCCQE11.O332018|DDC551.09–dc23
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Contents
Preface pageix
1 Major Nineteenth-Century Players 1
Introduction 1
Box1.1 ExtractsfromLyell’sLetters 2
Discussion 22
References 24
2 Towarda Geologic TimeScale 28
Introduction 28
ThePhanerozoic 30
RadioactivityandRadiometricDating 39
DinosaurExtinctionattheCretaceous–PaleogeneBoundary 45
Summary 48
References 49
3 AVestige ofa Beginning: TheAge of the Earth 52
Introduction 52
KelvinandtheSecondLaw 53
KelvinandtheAgeoftheEarth 55
AgeoftheOceans 57
Earth’sSandHourglass 61
IsotopicAges 63
Box3.1 AgeofMeteoritesandtheEarth 67
References 69
4 The Origin of Igneous Rocks 71
TheNeptunist–PlutonistControversy 71
ThePetrographicMicroscope 77
v
vi 
DifferentiationMechanismsandRockClassification 80
ExperimentalPetrology 84
OriginofGranite 85
References 89
5 Tectonics in Crisis 91
Introduction 91
EarlyModels 92
ContractionTheory 96
GlobalTectonics 98
AlpineNappeTectonics 101
AppalachianFoldandThrustBelt 103
TheGeosynclineConcept 107
MylonitesandtheElevationofMountainBelts 109
ExperimentalStudies 111
Isostasy 112
References 115
6 ContinentalDrift 118
TheOriginofContinentsandOceans 120
Box6.1 GeophysicistHaroldJeffreys(1891–1989) 125
Wegener’sSupporters 127
CriticsofDrift 132
Paleomagnetism 136
References 139
7 Plate Tectonics 141
Introduction 141
OceanFloorRifts 143
TransformFaults 149
SubductionZones 151
TheNewGlobalTectonics 151
ImplicationsforMountainBuilding 156
 vii
ImplicationsforIgneousActivityandTectonicSetting 158
Conclusions 161
References 163
8 Isotope andTrace Element Geology 166
Introduction 166
MineralAges 167
WholeRockAges 173
StableIsotopes 177
RareEarthElements 180
References 183
9 Ice Ages and IceCores 185
GlacialDeposits 185
DeepSeaCores 193
IceCores 200
References 208
10 Geology andEvolution oftheMoon 211
LunarStratigraphy 212
Multi-RingedBasins 214
TheApolloProgram 216
TheHighlandsandtheMagmaOceanHypothesis 222
MareBasalts 225
OriginoftheMoon 227
References 230
11 Welcome to the Anthropocene:A Man-MadeEpoch? 234
Introduction 234
DefiningtheAnthropocene 235
Box11.1 AnnualCO IncreaseintheAtmosphere 241
2
TheAnthropoceneasanArchaeologicalAge? 243
References 244
viii 
12 The Structure of GeologicalRevolutions 247
Introduction 247
CatastrophismversusLyell’sUniformityPrinciple 249
NormalScience:TheGeologicStratigraphicColumn 252
CrisisinTectonics 253
FirstResponsetoCrisis:ContinentalDrift 257
SecondResponsetoCrisis:PlateTectonics 258
References 258
Index 260
Preface
CharlesLyell’sPrinciplesofGeology(Vol.1,1830)isoneoftheearlier
treatmentsofthehistoryofgeology,sketchingprogressthroughout
thehistoryofgeology.Inthathistory,LyelltakestheNeptunist
schooltotaskforbelievingthatallrocksuccessions,including
igneousrocks,wereprecipitationsfroma“chaoticfluid.”Healso
praisedtheEnglishsurveyor,WilliamSmith,whoby1790had
recognizedthatstratifiedrockformationscouldbeidentifiedbytheir
fossilassemblagesandwho,byhimself,producedthefirstgeologic
mapofEnglandandWalesin1815–thisworkisrecountedinSimon
Winchester’sbookTheMapThatChangedtheWorld(2001).
SubsequenthistoriesofgeologyincludeVonZittel’sHistoryof
GeologyandPaleontology(1901),ArchibaldGeike’sTheFoundersof
Geology(1905),andTheBirthandDevelopmentoftheGeological
SciencesbyFrankAdams(1938),whichincludesachapteronancient
GreekandRomanwriters.
GeologyintheNineteenthCenturybyM.T.Greene(1982)
focusesontectonictheories,theoriginofmountainbelts,and
ContinentalDrift.TheRejectionofContinentalDriftbyNaomi
Oreskes(1999)discussesthemajorplayersinvolvedinthearguments
onbothsidesoftheAtlanticonthisissue.TheOceanofTruth(1986)
isapersonalaccountbyH.W.Menardofdiscoveriesmadeinthe
oceansinthe1950sand1960sleadingupto,butpriorto,the
discoveryofplatetectonics.Acompilationofhistoricallyimportant
academicpapersonplatetectonicswasproducedbyAlanCoxentitled
PlateTectonicsandGeomagneticReversals(1973).Theintroduction
byCoxshedssubstantiallightonthehistoryofplatetectonics.This
compilationalsoincludesa1944paperbytheBritishgeologistArthur
Holmes,whosecontributiontoglobaltectonicshaslargelybeen
underestimated.
ix