Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Before the rows erupted, Sedgwick and Murchison carried out
field work in the northern part of Devon, where they mapped red
sandstones to which in 1839 they applied the name 'Devonian', natu-
rally enough. It was their final joint geological contribution before
they fell out over their Welsh differences, and they went their separate
directions to wield their own hammers. It really was most unfortu-
nate, because both were exceptional geologists in their own right, who
together could well have unravelled the complex geological history of
Wales and other areas besides. The energy they spent sniping at each
other could have been used muchmore productively. Mind you, meet-
ings of the Geological Society would not have been so entertaining!
Today marble busts of the two geologists guard the doorway of the
Council Room in the Society's London apartments where possibly
their ghosts continue to argue and debate the extent of the Cambrian
and Silurian to this day.
Murchison provided the name of one other geological Period -
the Permian, named after rocks mapped in the Perm region beyond the
Ural Mountains in Russia. He had been invited to examine the geology
of a large part of northern Russia and so embarked on a 13,000-mile
trip in 1841 that took six months to complete. He travelled with the
French lawyer and fossil-collector Philippe
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douard Poulletier de
Verneuil (1805-1873) and they enjoyed St Petersburg, with visits to
its museums and entertainment provided at high society parties and
balls. Removing themselves from the capital the geologists headed
towards the Urals where Murchison observed some particular succes-
sions around Perm, which he referred to as being 'Permian'. The party
then moved westward to the Donets Coalfield which they confirmed
was Carboniferous in age. In 1845 he published a large two-volume set
entitled The Geology of Russia in Europe and the Ural Mountains. For
his work he had been awarded the Cross of St Ann and was given a
beautiful gold and gem-encrusted snuff-box by the Tsar, which can
now be seen in the Natural HistoryMuseum in London. Soon after the
publication of this seminal work, Roderick was to be found at
St James' Palace, London, on Wednesday 11 February 1846 on bended
