Article ID: CBB000932605

Into the Field Again: Re-Examining Charles Darwin's 1835 Geological Work on Isla Santiago (James Island) in the Galápagos Archipelago (2009)

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In 1835 Charles Darwin's geological observations on Isla Santiago (James Island) in the Galápagos Islands led him to important insights as to the process by which different varieties of igneous rock might be produced from the same volcanic vent. His work figured in a tradition of interpretation that began with the work of George Poulett Scrope and would end in the twentieth century with the theory of magmatic differentiation of igneous rocks through the process of crystal fractionation. This article reports on the findings of an expedition to Isla Santiago in July 2007 during which we were able to locate samples of igneous rocks similar to those collected by Darwin. We have used these, together with Darwin's original specimens and transcriptions of his field notes, to examine how his understanding of the separation of the trachytic and basaltic series of magmas developed from his initial field observations through to publication of Volcanic Islands in 1844.

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Authors & Contributors
Young, Davis A.
Rudwick, Martin J.S.
Grant, K. Thalia
Estes, Gregory B.
Khallaf El Ghalbi
Baarli, B. Gudveig
Concepts
Geology
Earth sciences
Scientific expeditions
Travel; exploration
Rocks, igneous
Classification
Time Periods
19th century
Medieval
20th century, early
20th century
18th century
Places
Galapagos Islands
Great Britain
Wales
South America
United States
Oceanic Islands
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