Geological Mapping of Our World and Others
Product code: SP541
Print publication date: 23/04/2024
Geological Society of London, GSL Special Publications, Earth and Solar System History, History of Geology
Type: Book (Hardback)
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 9781786205988
Author/Edited by: Edited by R.W.H. Butler, T. Torvela and L. Williams
Weight: 1kg
Number of pages: 396
Online publication date: 04/04/2024
Lyell Collection URL: https://www.lyellcollection.org/toc/sp/541/1
£130.00
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Special Publication 541
Map-making is a fundamental tool for developing geological knowledge. It involves data collection and interpretation and has its roots in the earliest discoveries in Earth science. It is the starting point for stratigraphic and structural interpretations, metamorphic facies, geochronology and modelling studies – and underpins civil engineering. From the beginning, geological mapping rapidly evolved into far more than being a simple spatial catalogue of observable rock types and landforms on the Earth’s land-surface: deductive reasoning allows this knowledge to infer subsurface Earth structure. However, the same approaches have also been down-scaled to deduce processes on the grain-scale; or up-scaled to look out to extraterrestrial objects. This Special Publication draws together these strands, crossing geoscience disciplines and observation scales to celebrate geological mapping, its historical importance and future directions, and its use in applied geology together with developing knowledge of Earth and planetary evolution and processes.
Butler, R. W. H., Torvela, T. and Williams, L. An introduction to geological mapping of our world and others
Dewey, J. F. Personal essay on geological mapping
Smelror, M. ‘Practically useful, scientifically important, and to the honour of the country’: geological maps and services provided by the Geological Survey of Norway these past 165 years
Butler, R. W. H. The first mapping of the Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland: the progress of Peach, Horne and colleagues (1883–1936)
Molli, G. The Alpi Apuane and their surroundings: a tale of the origins of modern Italian geological maps and of a missed ‘early recognition’ of nappes in the Apennines
Head, J. W., Ivanov, M. A. and Basilevsky, A. T. Global geological mapping of Venus and the twenty-first-century legacy of William Smith: identification of challenges and opportunities for future research and exploration
Canale, M., Wright, J. and Rothery, D. A. A hybrid geological map of Sibelius Crater on Mercury, and its associated ejecta and impact melt deposits
Butler, R. W. H. Training the creation, visualization and interpretation of fault maps for the subsurface – using tectonic geomorphology
Craven, B. and Lloyd, G. E. Reconciling onshore and offshore geological mapping: lessons from north Cornwall, SW England
Gonzalo-Guerra, B., Heredia, N., Farias, P., García-Sansegundo, J. and Martín-González, F. Superimposed brittle structures in polyorogenic contexts: Variscan and Alpine faults in the Duje Valley (Picos de Europa, Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain)
Webb, S., Torvela, T., Chapman, R. and Savastano, L. Textural mapping and building a paragenetic interpretation of hydrothermal veins
Lloyd, G. E. Mapping intragranular microstructures in quartz: the significance of Dauphiné twinning
Ridd, M. F. SE Asia as part of Gondwana: a 1960s regional mapping project over Southern Thailand that lay behind the hypothesis
Macdonald, D. I. M. The myth of the Highland Cretaceous revealed by the art of palaeogeographic Mapping
Markwick, P. J., Paton, D. A. and Cavalcanti de Araújo, M. N. Mapping deformation: the map representation of geological structure
Index
To many geologists, the geological map is an object of wonder to be treasured, studied, and even hung on the wall as a work of art. Geological mapping and interpretation is a skill that all geologists should possess and formed part of many geologists’ undergraduate training. This volume has been written by specialists in the field for us all to enjoy and learn from. In the opening chapter, the editors state that “map-making is a fundamental tool for developing geological knowledge. It involves data collection and interpretation and has its roots in the earliest discoveries in Earth Sciences”. They then define what a geological map is, the history of its development from William Smith’s map of 1815, and techniques of geological mapping from paper field slips to modern digital innovations. This is followed by John Dewey’s “Personal essay on geological mapping” where he deplores the move away from teaching basic mapping skills by some parts of the Earth science community. This volume is superbly illustrated with examples of well chosen geological maps including William Smith’s 1815 original, those from the modern day, and maps showing the rocks of our neighbours in the Solar System, such as Mercury and Venus. Many illustrations are in colour, to great effect; the publishers should be applauded as they elevate this book to a level that should set a standard for other publishers to follow. However, in the latter half of the book, too many images are crammed onto single pages, thirteen in one case, and therefore much of what the authors are trying to illustrate is difficult to discern. Some images are as small as a postage stamp. These minor points do not detract at all from what is a well designed and attractive Special Publication of which the Society can be proud. It was a joy to read, I learned much and it reminded me of how much I have forgotten. I believe this book should be on every geologist’s bookshelf and in all institutions concerned with geology. I urge any readers to go and buy a copy, as it does what is says on the cover: it is a comprehensive view of geological mapping from the macro to the micro scale of our world and our neighbouring planets.
Richard Porter, Geoscientist, Summer 2025
