Product Description
MacCulloch, John; A Geological Classification of Rocks; With Descriptive Synopsis of the Species and Varieties, Comprising the Elements of Practical Geology. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Paternoster Row., London, 1821. Octavo, pp. 4, xxxi, 655.
The work is complete and in a 20th century, black Moroccan leather with gilt spine titles. The binding is tight and very clean, the text is bright and clean with marbled text block edges. In near fine condition.
John MacCulloch (1773-1835) was a prominent Scottish geologist who pioneered many of the advances in the geology of Scotland. He is best known for his field research and the resulting texts and geological maps that were published.
MacCulloch was an early member of the Geological Society of London and published his first studies in 1811 in the Transactions. His 1821 text “A Geological Classification of Rocks” resulted in his being appointed to perform some of the first detailed and extensive geological and mineralogical field studies of Scotland. Comparatively little was known of the geology of Scotland up to this time.
MacCulloch described in detail rocks ranging in age from PreCambrian to Oligocene and included many igneous rocks. His descriptions of the igneous rocks, and the geological maps and sketches provided the needed evidence that was to refute the views of Abraham G. Werner on the origins of igneous rocks.
In his work on the classification of rocks, he divides rocks into two main classes, Primary and Secondary. His Primary is then divided into unstratified (granite) and stratified (mainly gneisses and schists, with some sediments). The Secondary included all the younger sediments and some unstratified rocks, which his descriptions clearly indicate were igneous intrusions. Macculloch also described in detail the occurrences of basalt lava or trap rocks the remains of the extensive Tertiary basalt lava plateau off the west of Scotland. It is obvious from his descriptions that Macculloch had a keen eye for field work and was thus one of the pioneers of field work and British geology and mineralogy.
