Geology is becoming increasingly holistic and integrated with other sciences. Earth Systems Science integrates
a variety of processes operating at the full range of timescales (from hours to millions of years) and spatial
contexts (from local depositional processes to global tectonics), thereby providing insight into sediment supply
from mountain source to sediment sink within a depositional basin. Palaeoclimate research, such as that carried
out by Maureen Raymo, works in a similar manner, providing insights for modelling of future climate trends.
Alongside such holistic approaches, it is likely that advances in technology and data science will transform
geology by teasing out patterns in geological data that are beyond the capacity for easy recognition by humans.
Geological research continues across all branches of the subject and is expanding from the confines of the
Earth to consider the geology of neighbouring planets and their moons. No doubt there will be more Great
Geologists to emerge and be recognised over the coming years.
It is not easy to imagine what the geological breakthroughs of the future will be. Will we be able to predict the
precise timing of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions? Will we develop techniques to directly date any rock
accurately; thereby, improving correlation immeasurably? What seems certain is that technology will provide
the catalyst.
The geologists working before the 20th century went out into the field and made observations that then led to
theories of geological processes. During the 20th century, technological breakthroughs made a huge difference
to geological thinking. For example, the advent of radiometric dating, the recognition of paleomagnetism,
and the use of geophysical techniques and remote sensing are immense. That does not belie the importance
of field work — there is no substitute for gathering data — but rather than armed simply with a hammer,
hand-lens, compass-clinometer and paper notebook, the field geologist now has a wider variety and more
sophisticated set of tools at their disposal, including drones and 3D imaging technology. Geoscience is far from
being at its peak!
This Volume
As the reader may have already determined, this compilation describing Great Geologists is not a scholarly
work. For such texts, the reader is encouraged to consult the exemplary writings of Martin Rudwick, David
Oldroyd, Mott Greene and Henry Frankel, who have been amongst our foremost historians of geological
research. Instead, this compilation is intended to provide the reader with brief portraits of some Great
Geologists, outlining their main achievements and providing a little background colour about their lives. I was
inspired by the geologists I have written about. It is hoped that readers will be similarly inspired, whilst gaining
insight into how geological research is undertaken and what the results can tell us about our planet, its history
and the processes operating on and within it.