Sir Archibald Geikie (28 December 183510 November 1924) was a Scottish geologist and writer.

Early life

Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835, the eldest son of Isabella Thom and her husband James Stuart Geikie, a musician and music critic. The elder brother of

James Geikie James Murdoch Geikie PRSE FRS LLD (23 August 1839 – 1 March 1915) was a Scottish geologist. He was professor of geology at Edinburgh University from 1882 to 1914. Life Education He was born in Edinburgh, the son of James Stuart Geikie a ...

, he was educated at

Edinburgh High School The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

and

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Career

In 1855 was appointed an assistant on the

British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS h ...

. Wielding the pen with no less facility than the hammer, he inaugurated his long list of works with ''The Story of a Boulder; or, Gleanings from the Note-Book of a Geologist'' (1858). His ability at once attracted the notice of his chief, Sir Roderick Murchison, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship, and whose biographer he subsequently became. With Murchison some of his earliest work was done on the complicated regions of the

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...

s of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

; and the small

geological map A geologic map or geological map is a special-purpose map made to show various geological features. Rock (geology), Rock units or stratum, geologic strata are shown by color or symbols. Bed (geology), Bedding planes and structural features such ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

published in 1862 was their joint work: a larger map was issued by Geikie in 1892. In 1863 he published an important essay "On the Phenomena of the Glacial Drift of Scotland", in ''Transactions of the

Geological Society of Glasgow The Geological Society of Glasgow is a scientific society devoted to the study of geology in Scotland. The society contributed to the understanding of Scotland's glacial history, and the relationship between the Earth's rotation and climate ch ...

'', in which the effects of ice action in that country were for the first time clearly and connectedly delineated. In 1865 Geikie's ''Scenery of Scotland'' (3rd edition, 1901) was published, which was, he claimed, the first attempt to elucidate in some detail the history of the

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sc ...

of a country. In the same year he was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. At this time the Edinburgh school of geologists, prominent among them Sir Andrew Ramsay, with his ''Physical Geology and Geography of Great Britain'' were maintaining the supreme importance of

denudation Denudation is the geological processes in which moving water, ice, wind, and waves erode the Earth's surface, leading to a reduction in elevation and in relief of landforms and landscapes. Although the terms erosion and denudation are used interc ...

in the configuration of land surfaces, and particularly the

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

s by the action of running water. Geikie's book, based on extensive personal knowledge of the country, was an able contribution to the doctrines of the Edinburgh school, of which he himself soon began to rank as one of the leaders. In 1880, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Geological Survey

In 1867, when a separate branch of the Geological Survey was established for Scotland, he was appointed director. On the foundation of the Murchison professorship of geology and

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

at the

in 1871, he became the first occupant of the chair. He continued to hold these two appointments until 1881. In that year, he was awarded the

Murchison Medal The Murchison Medal is an academic award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. First awarded in 1873, it is normally given to people who have made a significant contribution to geology by means of a substantial body of research and ...

of the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

and he succeeded Sir Andrew Ramsay in the joint offices of Director-General of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom and Director of the

Museum of Practical Geology The Geological Museum (originally the Museum of Economic Geology then the Museum of Practical Geology), started in 1835 as one of the oldest single science museums in the world and now part of the Natural History Museum in London. It transfe ...

, London, from which he retired in February 1901. A feature of his tenure of office was the impetus given to microscopic

petrography Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The class ...

, a branch of geology to which he had devoted special study, by a splendid collection of

thin section In optical mineralogy and petrography, a thin section (or petrographic thin section) is a thin slice of a rock or mineral sample, prepared in a laboratory, for use with a polarizing petrographic microscope, electron microscope and electron ...

s of British

rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

. Later he wrote two Survey Memoirs, ''The Geology of Central and Western Fife and Kinross'' (1900), and ''The Geology of Eastern Fife'' (1902). From the outset of his career, when he started to investigate the geology of Skye and other of the

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

, he took a keen interest in

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

geology, and in 1871 he brought before the Geological Society of London an outline of the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

volcanic history of Britain. Many difficult problems, however, remained to be solved. Here he was greatly aided by his extensive travels not only throughout Europe, but in western America. While the canyons of the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

confirmed his long-standing views on erosion, the volcanic regions of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

supplied him with valuable data in explanation of volcanic phenomena. The results of his further researches were given in an essay entitled "The History of Volcanic Action during the Tertiary Period in the British Isles," in ''Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh'' (1888). His views on volcanic geology were delivered in his presidential addresses to the Geological Society of London in 1891 and 1892 and afterward embodied in his book ''The Ancient Volcanoes of Great Britain'' (1897). Other results of his travels are collected in ''Geological Sketches at Home and Abroad'' (1882).

Writings

Geikie wrote a biography of

Edward Forbes Edward Forbes FRS, FGS (12 February 1815 – 18 November 1854) was a Manx naturalist. In 1846, he proposed that the distributions of montane plants and animals had been compressed downslope, and some oceanic islands connected to the mainlan ...

(with G Wilson), and biographies of his predecessors Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (two volumes, 1875) and Sir

Andrew Crombie Ramsay Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay (sometimes spelt Ramsey) (31 January 18149 December 1891) was a Scottish geologist. Biography Ramsay was born at Glasgow. He was for a time actually engaged in business, but from spending his holidays in Arran he beca ...

(1895). His book ''Founders of Geology'' consists of the inaugural course of lectures (founded by Mrs George Huntington Williams) at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

, Baltimore, delivered in 1897. In 1897 he issued a ''Geological Map of England and Wales, with Descriptive Notes''. In 1898 he delivered the

Romanes Lectures The Romanes Lecture is a prestigious free public lecture given annually at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, England. The lecture series was founded by, and named after, the biologist George Romanes, and has been running since 1892. Over the year ...

, which was published under the title of ''Types of Scenery and their Influence on Literature''. The study of

physical geography Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, h ...

in Great Britain improved largely due to his efforts. Among his works on this subject is ''The Teaching of Geography'' (1887). His other books include ''Scottish Reminiscences'' (1904) and ''Landscape in History and other Essays'' (1905). His ''Birds of Shakespeare'' was published in 1916. He was the editor of ''

The Geological Structure of the North-West Highlands of Scotland The Highlands controversy was a scientific controversy which started between British geologists in the middle of the nineteenth century concerning the nature of the stratum, rock strata in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The debate became c ...

'' (1907, His Majesty's Stationery Office), written by B. N. Peach,

John Horne John Horne PRSE FRS FRSE FEGS LLD (1 January 1848 – 30 May 1928) was a Scottish geologist. He served as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1915 to 1919. Life Horne was born on 1 January 1848, in Campsie, Stirlingshire, the ...

, William Gunn (1837–1902), C. T. Clough, L. W. Hinxman, and J. H. H. Teall.

Honours and awards

Geikie was Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society from 1890 to 1894, Joint Secretary from 1903 to 1908 and elected president in 1909 and awarded their Royal Medal in 1896. He was President of the

in 1891 and 1892, and again in 1906 and 1907. He was also President of the

British Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

in 1892.

A197, Geikie Gorge National Park, Western Australia, Fitzroy River, 2007

He received the honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

(LL.D) from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in June 1901. He received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in 1891, the Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in 1907 and the Order of Merit in 1914. In 1905 he received the RSGS

Livingstone Medal The Livingstone Medal is awarded by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in recognition of outstanding service of a humanitarian nature with a clear geographical dimension. This was awarded first in 1901. Named after the African explorer David L ...

Dorsa Geikie Dorsa Geikie is a wrinkle ridge at in Mare Fecunditatis on the Moon. It is approximately 220 km long and was named after Scottish geologist Sir Archibald Geikie in 1976 by the IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link ...

, a wrinkle ridge system on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, and the mineral geikielite, a magnesium-titanium oxide, are both named after him, as is

Geikie Gorge Geikie Gorge (known locally as Darngku) is a feature of the Napier Range and is located within the grounds of Danggu Gorge National Park (formerly, Geikie Gorge National Park), from Fitzroy Crossing, northeast of Perth and east of Broome ...

in the Napier Range in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Mount Geikie in the Canadian Rockies, Geikie Peak in the Grand Canyon, and the Geikie Slide in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

northwest of

Death

He died at his home, "Shepherd's Down" in Haslemere, Surrey and is buried there in the village churchyard. He had married in 1871 Alice Gabrielle Anne Marie Pignatel, daughter of Eugene Pignatel of Lyons; they had a son Roderick (killed in early life) and three daughters, Lucie, Elsie and Gabrielle (also commemorated on an attachment to Geikie's memorial. File:Geikie Powell Walcott in Harpers Ferry 1897.jpg,

Charles Doolittle Walcott Charles Doolittle Walcott (March 31, 1850February 9, 1927) was an American paleontologist, administrator of the Smithsonian Institution from 1907 to 1927, and director of the United States Geological Survey. Wonderful Life (book) by Stephen Jay G ...

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, and Sir Archibald Geikie on a geological field excursion to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, May 1897, following the George Huntington Williams Memorial Lectures delivered by Sir Archibald Geikie at Johns Hopkins University File:American Geologists WVa 1897.jpg, Group photo taken during the aforementioned geological field excursion to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, May 1897. Sir Archibald Geikie is in the top row, second from the left, wearing a light-colored jacket. File:Geikie gravestone.jpg, Geikie's gravestone in St Bartholomew's churchyard, Haslemere, Surrey U.K. The inscription reads: "To the dear memory of Archibald Geikie OM KCB Born in Edinburgh 28 Dec 1835 Died at Haslemere 10 Nov 1924. Wisdom is a treasure that never faileth, Which they that use become the friends of God" File:Geikie daughters.jpg, Attachment to Geikie's gravestone in memory of his daughters

Selected bibliography

*
The Story of a Boulder: Or Gleanings from a Note-book of a Field Geologist
' (1858) *
Physical Geography
' (1877) * ''Textbook of Geology'' – First edition (1882) – Second edition (1885) �
Third edition (1893)
*
Geological Sketches at Home and Abroad
' (1882) *
An Elementary Geography of the British Isles
' (1888) *
''Memoir of Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay''
(1895) * ''The Ancient Volcanoes of Britain'', 2 volumes (1897
vol. 1vol. 2
*
Types of Scenery and Their Influence on Literature
' (1898) * ''The Founders of Geology'' �
First edition (1897)
�
Second edition (1905)
*
Elementary Lessons in Physical Geography
' (1903) *
Scottish Reminiscences
' (1904) *
Landscape in History and Other Essays
' (1905) *
Annals of the Royal Society Club
' (1917)

References

External links

Sir Archibald Geikie O.M. K.C.B.
�� Museum site with extensive biographical material, including pictures * by Sir Archibald Geikie
The Story of a Boulder; or, Gleanings from the notebook of a field geologist
by Sir Archibald Geikie, 1858

on the site of

Haslemere Educational Museum Haslemere Educational Museum was founded in 1888 by the eminent surgeon Sir Jonathan Hutchinson to display his growing collection of natural history specimens. After two moves it found in 1926 a permanent home in Haslemere High Street, in the ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Geikie, Archibald 1835 births 1924 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British Geological Survey British volcanologists Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Honorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of the Order of Merit People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Scientists from Edinburgh Presidents of the British Science Association Presidents of the Royal Society Royal Medal winners Scottish biographers Scottish cartographers Scottish geologists Wollaston Medal winners Presidents of the Classical Association