Sir Archibald Geikie (28 December 1835 – 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, he was educated at Edinburgh High School and

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Career

In 1855 Geikie was appointed an assistant with the

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

. Among his early publications for a popular audience was ''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. Geikie completed some early geological mapping with Murchison on complicated regions of

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

s in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

; and they jointly published a new

geological map A geological map or geologic 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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1862. Geikie completed a larger map 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'', 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 landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

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

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

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 in the configuration of land surfaces, and particularly the

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing 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 over ...

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 of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

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 mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

at the

in 1871, he became the first occupant of the

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

. He continued to hold these two appointments until 1881. In that year, he was awarded the Murchison Medal 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, 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 clas ...

, a branch of geology to which he had devoted special study, by a splendid collection of thin sections of British rocks. 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 ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islands form part ...

, he took a keen interest in volcanic geology, and in 1871 he brought before the Geological Society of London an outline of the Tertiary 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

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

s of the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

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

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

supplied him with valuable data in explanation of volcanic phenomena. The results of his further research 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 (with G Wilson), and biographies of his predecessors Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (two volumes, 1875) and Sir Andrew Crombie Ramsay (1895). His book ''Founders of Geology'' consists of the inaugural course of lectures (founded by Mrs George Huntington Williams) at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, 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, 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'' (1907, His Majesty's Stationery Office), written by B. N. Peach, John Horne, William Gunn (1837–1902), C. T. Clough, L. W. Hinxman, and J. H. H. Teall.

Honours and awards

Geikie was elected

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1865. 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 in 1892. He received the honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) from the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

in June 1901. He received a knighthood in 1891, the Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in 1907 and the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

in 1914. In 1905 he received the RSGS Livingstone Medal. Dorsa Geikie, a wrinkle ridge system on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

, and the mineral geikielite, a magnesium-titanium oxide, are both named after him, as is Geikie Gorge in the Napier Range in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Mount Geikie in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Geikie in Wyoming, 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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

northwest of

Death

He died at his home, "Shepherd's Down" in

Haslemere The town of Haslemere () and the villages of Shottermill and Grayswood are in south-west Surrey, England, around south-west of London. Together with the settlements of Hindhead and Beacon Hill (Hindhead, Surrey), Beacon Hill, they comprise ...

, Surrey and is buried there in the village churchyard.

Family

In 1871, Geikie married 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.

Gallery

File:Geikie Powell Walcott in Harpers Ferry 1897.jpg, Charles Doolittle Walcott, John Wesley Powell, 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 * * * {{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 Murchison Medal winners Wollaston Medal winners Presidents of the Classical Association Directors of the British Geological Survey Presidents of the Geological Society of London International members of the American Philosophical Society