Chapter ID: CBB847383821

Fossil collections and mapping the Silurian: An example from Scandinavia (2018)

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From 1840 to 1845, Roderick Murchison (1792–1871), an accomplished geologist who was instrumental in developing the Paleozoic portion of the geologic time scale, traveled in Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia, where he documented the occurrence and extent of the Silurian, Devonian, and Permian Systems. A key component of his fieldwork methodology was to examine fossils in both private collections and public museums to assess the types of fossils that occur in a region, in order to guide and expedite his mapping efforts. While working in Scandinavia, he examined fossil collections in Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Upsala, and Visby, and those collections clearly influenced his choice of travel routes and, ultimately, the geologic map (Plate VI) in the Geology of Russia (1845). Furthermore, he was able to compare the Scandinavian fossils to British collections, thereby confirming the age of the strata he was mapping. Not only were the fossil collections in the museums of his day essential to Murchison's scientific research, but collections of documents in modern archives are invaluable in reconstructing his movements, observations, and discoveries more than 170 years ago, thereby demonstrating the utility of collections and museums to the construction of knowledge.

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Authors & Contributors
Rosenberg, Gary D.
Clary, Renee M.
Gregory P. Dietl
Jayne C. Aubele
Joseph H. Hartman
Mathias Harzhauser
Concepts
Geology
Earth sciences
Museums
Science and society
Paleontology
Natural history
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
21st century
20th century, late
Early modern
Renaissance
Places
Philadelphia, PA
Ural Mountains region (Russia)
Florence (Italy)
Scandinavia; Nordic countries
Russia
Poland
Institutions
Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.)
California Academy of Sciences
Habsburg, House of
Rutgers University
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