24 | Great Geologists
Smith until August 1st
maximise the extraction
1815 to see the publication
from the Carboniferous
of 400 beautifully hand-
Coal Measures a few
coloured copies of his map
hundred feet below the
“A Delineation of The Strata
surface. It was here that
of England and Wales with
Smith’s understanding of
part of Scotland”. A cross-
stratigraphy began to take
section accompanied the
hold. He noted a distinct
map. There are at least two
order to what we would
things remarkable about
today term as cyclothems
this map which can be
or parasequences of
viewed in the entrance hall
coal, mudstone and
of the Geological Society of
sandstone and that
London. Firstly that it is the
individual rock units
work of just one man. He had
could be distinguished
no geological survey at his
by their lithology and
disposal. It is a record of his
fossil content. This he
observations alone. Secondly,
recorded in outline in a
is that it is remarkably
brief note now preserved
accurate given that he was
in the Oxford University
working alone and had
Geological Museum
deduced for himself the
entitled “Original Sketch
connection between fossil
and Observations of My
content and stratigraphy -
First Subterranean Survey
“putting paleontology on
of Mearns Colliery in the
the map” - so to speak. In
Parish of High Littleton”. It
Portrait of William Smith by Hugues Fourau, 1837.
the course of his work he
can be argued that this is
collected thousands of fossil
the founding document of
specimens. Subsequent to the map, he published plates of the
practical stratigraphy, but much more was to come from Smith.
key fossils from the main stratigraphic units he recognised.
From 1793–1799 he was chiefly engaged in surveying the
It has been well-recorded that fate was not kind to this pioneer
route for the Somerset Coal Canal. This cut through what
of geology. He was constantly troubled by financial difficulties
we now recognise as Carboniferous, Triassic and Jurassic
and in 1819 he spent a short period of time in a debtor’s prison.
sediments. Smith had the skill to recognise the distinct order
Moreover it took over 15 years after publication of the 1815 map
of this stratigraphy as it dipped gently eastwards and that
for the embryonic geological establishment to recognise his
certain beds could be characterised by certain fossils. By 1799,
contribution to the science. No doubt this was in part because
encouraged by his society friends in the well-heeled city of Bath,
of his social background (despite his attempts, which led to
he presented his first geological map of the area surrounding
debt, to “rise above his station”) but also because he was not a
the city, and also his table of strata in the region – “Order
man for theory. He made his map and utilised what we would
of the STRATA and their Embedded ORGANIC REMAINS,
now term as biostratigraphy because it was a practical means
in the vicinity of BATH; examined and proved prior to 1799”.
of helping him with his surveying work. He did not speculate on
Note that the title of this historic document provides a link
why strata are ordered in a particular way or why fossil content
between paleontology and stratigraphy – that rocks could be
changed between particular rock units. He was effectively
characterised and correlated by their fossil content.
doing what many geologists do in practice to this day, making
Smith was now travelling widely in England and Wales and
empirical observations and relying on specialists or new data for
expanded his observations from Somerset to the whole of
explanations. Geology is a practical subject and Smith has been
these countries and southern Scotland. By 1801 an unpublished
followed by a proud line of industry-based geologists who have
outline geological map of England was prepared, but it took