The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership m ...

based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fellows are entitled to the

postnominal Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

FGS (Fellow of the Geological Society), over 2,000 of whom are Chartered Geologists (CGeol). The Society is a Registered Charity, No. 210161. It is also a member of the Science Council, and is licensed to award Chartered Scientist to qualifying members. The mission of the society is: "Making geologists acquainted with each other, stimulating their zeal, inducing them to adopt one nomenclature, facilitating the communication of new facts and ascertaining what is known in their science and what remains to be discovered".

History

The Society was founded on 13 November 1807 at the Freemasons' Tavern,

Great Queen Street Great Queen Street is a street in the West End of central London in England. It is a continuation of Long Acre from Drury Lane to Kingsway. It runs from 1 to 44 along the north side, east to west, and 45 to about 80 along the south side, wes ...

, in the Covent Garden district of London. It was partly the outcome of a previous club known as the

Askesian Society The Askesian Society — was a debating club for scientific thinkers in London (1796-1807). The name was taken from the Greek term ''Askesis'', meaning 'training' or 'application'. History Founded on 23 March 1796 in London.''Torrens H. S.'' The ...

. There were 13 founder members: William Babington,

James Parkinson James Parkinson (11 April 175521 December 1824) was an English surgeon, apothecary, geologist, palaeontologist and political activist. He is best known for his 1817 work ''An Essay on the Shaking Palsy'', in which he was the first to describe ...

Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for t ...

, George Bellas Greenough,

Arthur Aikin Arthur Aikin (19 May 177315 April 1854) was an English chemist, mineralogy, mineralogist and scientific writer, and was a founding member of the Chemical Society (now the Royal Society of Chemistry). He first became its treasurer in 1841, and la ...

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

Jacques Louis, Comte de Bournon Jacques-Louis, Comte de Bournon FRS, FGS (21 January 1751 – 24 August 1825) was a French soldier and mineralogist who came to England after the French Revolution. He gained prominence in the scientific community, being elected a fellow of ...

, Richard Knight, James Laird, James Franck,

William Haseldine Pepys William Haseldine Pepys FGS FRS (23 March 1775 – 17 August 1856) (or William Hasledine Pepys - both versions were used during his lifetime) was an English scientist and founder of learned institutions who contributed significantly to the advan ...

, Richard Phillips, and

William Phillips William Phillips may refer to: Entertainment * William Phillips (editor) (1907–2002), American editor and co-founder of ''Partisan Review'' * William T. Phillips (1863–1937), American author * William Phillips (director), Canadian film-make ...

. It received its Royal Charter on 23 April 1825 from

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

. Since 1874, the Society has been based at Burlington House, Piccadilly,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. This building houses the Society's library, which contains more than 300,000 volumes of books and journals. It is a member of the UK Science Council. Women were first allowed to become Fellows of the Society in 1919. In 1991, it merged with the Institution of Geologists, which had been formed in 1977 to represent the geological profession. The Society celebrated its bicentenary in 2007. It ran programmes in the geosciences in Britain and abroad, under the auspices of the science writer and palaeontologist Professor Richard Fortey, the president that year.

Specialist and regional groups

The Society has 24 specialist groups and 15 regional groups which serve as an opportunity for those with specific interests to meet and discuss their subject or region. They are all free for members to join and some are open to non-members.Specialist and Regional Groups
The Geological Society, UK. The Regional Groups are: The Specialist Groups are:

Publications

The society publishes two of its own journals, the (formerly ''Quarterly'') ''

Journal of the Geological Society The ''Journal of the Geological Society '' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Geological Society of London. It covers research in all aspects of the Earth sciences. References External links * Proceedings of the Geologica ...

'' and the ''

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...

''. It also publishes the magazine '' Geoscientist'' for Fellows, and has a share in '' Geology Today'', published by Blackwell Science. It also co-publishes journals and publishes on behalf of other organisations. These include ''

Petroleum Geoscience ''Petroleum Geoscience'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Geological Society of London and the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers. It covers research in geoscience and technology associated with pe ...

'' with the

European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers The European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) is a professional organization for geoscientists and engineers, established in 1951 with a worldwide membership. The association provides a platform for professionals in geophysics, pe ...

(EAGE), '' Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis'' with the

Association of Applied Geochemists The Association of Applied Geochemists (AAG) is an international society that seeks to advance the study and application of geochemistry and represents scientists working in that field. History The society was founded in 1970 as the Association o ...

(AAG), '' Journal of Micropalaeontology'' for the Micropalaeontological Society, '' Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society'' for the

Yorkshire Geological Society The Yorkshire Geological Society is a learned, professional and educational charity devoted to the earth sciences, founded in 1837. Its work is centred on the geology of Yorkshire, and the north of England more generally, ranging from Northumbria ...

, and '' Scottish Journal of Geology'' for the Geological Societies of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Past presidents

The society counts many famous geologists amongst its past presidents. These include pioneers of geology

William Buckland William Buckland DD, FRS (12 March 1784 – 14 August 1856) was an English theologian who became Dean of Westminster. He was also a geologist and palaeontologist. Buckland wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, which he named ' ...

, Adam Sedgwick, Roderick Impey Murchison, Charles Lyell, Henry Thomas De la Beche, T.H.Huxley,

Joseph Prestwich Sir Joseph Prestwich, FRS (12 March 1812 – 23 June 1896) was a British geologist and businessman, known as an expert on the Tertiary Period and for having confirmed the findings of Boucher de Perthes of ancient flint tools in the Somme vall ...

Archibald Geikie 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. T ...

Jethro Teall Sir Jethro Justinian Harris Teall FRS HFRSE PGS (5 January 1849 – 2 July 1924) was a British geologist and petrographist. Teallite is named after him. Life He was born to Jethro Teall of Sandwich, Kent (1816-1848) and his wife, Mary Hath ...

, and

Charles Lapworth Charles Lapworth FRS FGS (20 September 1842 – 13 March 1920) was a headteacher and an English geologist who pioneered faunal analysis using index fossils and identified the Ordovician period. Biography Charles Lapworth was born at Faring ...

. Later well-known names include

Alfred Harker Alfred Harker FRS (19 February 1859 – 28 July 1939) was an English geologist who specialised in petrology and interpretive petrography. He was Lecturer in Petrology at the University of Cambridge for many years, and carried out field mapping ...

, Arthur Trueman, H.H.Read, and Frederick Shotton, and Janet Watson.

Scientific awards and funds

In 1831 it began issuing an annual scientific award for geology, known as the

Wollaston Medal The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London. The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831. It was originally made of gold (1831–1845), ...

. This is still the Society's premier medal, which in 2006 was awarded to James Lovelock, the originator of the Gaia Hypothesis.

Medals awarded by the Society

Lyell Medal The Lyell Medal is a prestigious annual scientific medal given by the Geological Society of London, equal in status to the Murchison Medal. This medal is awarded based on one Earth Scientist's exceptional contribution of research to the scientific ...

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 ...

* Prestwich Medal * William Smith Medal * Aberconway Medal * Dewey Medal * Major John Sacheverell A'Deane Coke Medal * Major Edward D'Ewes Fitzgerald Coke Medal *

Sue Tyler Friedman Medal The Sue Tyler Friedman Medal is awarded by the Geological Society of London for work on the history of geology. Established in 1987, it is named after the wife of academic journal editor and publisher Gerald M. Friedman, and was funded by a gift t ...

Bigsby Medal The Bigsby Medal is a medal of the Geological Society of London established by John Jeremiah Bigsby. It is awarded for the study of American geology. Recipients SourcThe Geological Society See also * List of geology awards * Prizes named afte ...

Funds administered by the Society

* The Wollaston Fund *

The Murchison Fund The Murchison Fund is an award given by the Geological Society of London to researchers under the age of 40 who have contributed substantially to the study of hard rock and tectonic geology. It is named in honour of Prof. Roderick Impey Murchison. ...

The Lyell Fund ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

* The R. H. Worth Prize * The William Smith Fund * The Distinguished Service Award

Bibliography

* Herries Davies, G.L. (2007) ''Whatever is Under the Earth: The Geological Society of London 1807 to 2007'', London : Geological Society,

References

External links

The Geological Society

The Lyell Collection

GSL publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geological Society Learned societies of the United Kingdom Scientific organizations established in 1807 1807 establishments in England Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom Publishing companies of the United Kingdom