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Archivists Unearth Rare Copy of a Map that 'Changed the World'
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Mar 23, 2015 10:19 AM EDT
Can a map change the world? Apparently it can. Scientists have unearthed a rare early copy of William Smith's 1815 Geological Map of England and Wales that represents the first ever geological map of a nation ever produced.
The recently uncovered map isn't just for researchers, though. It's actually been digitized and made available online. The map itself shows the geological strata of England, Wales and part of Scotland. The recently uncovered copy is thought to have been one of the first ten produced by William Smith, who then went on to produce an estimated 370 hand-colored copies of the map in his lifetime.
William Smith has often been called the "Father of English Geology." He helped pioneer the science of stratigraphy and geological mapping. In fact, his map of England and Wales became the basis for all future geological maps of Britain, and influenced geological surveys around the world.
"Smith's importance to the history of our science cannot be overstated," said John Henry, Chair of the Geological Society's History of Geology Group, in a news release. "His map is a remarkable piece of work. It helped shape the economic and scientific development of Britain at a time before geological surveys existed."
The map was actually discovered among completely unrelated material and the map itself is extremely rare. In fact, an early copy was recently made available for sale at over $200,000.
"Once we had worked out that it was an early copy of one of the earliest geological maps ever made, I was astonished," said Henry. "It's the kind of thing that anyone working in the archives dreams of, and definitely the highlight of my career so far!"
The map is now publically available just in time for the map's 200th anniversary.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: Mar 23, 2015 10:19 AM EDT
Can a map change the world? Apparently it can. Scientists have unearthed a rare early copy of William Smith's 1815 Geological Map of England and Wales that represents the first ever geological map of a nation ever produced.
The recently uncovered map isn't just for researchers, though. It's actually been digitized and made available online. The map itself shows the geological strata of England, Wales and part of Scotland. The recently uncovered copy is thought to have been one of the first ten produced by William Smith, who then went on to produce an estimated 370 hand-colored copies of the map in his lifetime.
William Smith has often been called the "Father of English Geology." He helped pioneer the science of stratigraphy and geological mapping. In fact, his map of England and Wales became the basis for all future geological maps of Britain, and influenced geological surveys around the world.
"Smith's importance to the history of our science cannot be overstated," said John Henry, Chair of the Geological Society's History of Geology Group, in a news release. "His map is a remarkable piece of work. It helped shape the economic and scientific development of Britain at a time before geological surveys existed."
The map was actually discovered among completely unrelated material and the map itself is extremely rare. In fact, an early copy was recently made available for sale at over $200,000.
"Once we had worked out that it was an early copy of one of the earliest geological maps ever made, I was astonished," said Henry. "It's the kind of thing that anyone working in the archives dreams of, and definitely the highlight of my career so far!"
The map is now publically available just in time for the map's 200th anniversary.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone