A Geological Manual
1831 Edition

Reissued in its 1831 first edition, this work sought to help students grasp the fundamentals of a rapidly advancing science.

Henry T. De la Beche (Author)

9781108075121, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 November 2014

554 pages, 105 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 3.1 cm, 0.7 kg

Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796–1855) served as president of the Geological Society from 1847 to 1849, having contributed greatly to the development of geological science and surveying in the first half of the nineteenth century. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Museum of Practical Geology in London. Reissued here in its 1831 first edition (which Darwin had with him aboard the Beagle), this work sought to help students to grasp the fundamentals of a rapidly advancing science. The first section considers the Earth's shape, density, temperature and other characteristics. The next part includes discussion of beaches, volcanos, and coastal processes. De la Beche then presents descriptions of various rock types, reflecting the state of contemporary geological knowledge. Highly successful, the book went through two further English editions; the expanded third edition is also reissued in this series.

Preface
Section I: 1. Figure of the Earth
2. Density of the Earth
3. Superficial distribution of land and water
4. Saltness and specific gravity of the sea
5. Temperature of the Earth
6. Temperature of springs
7. Temperature of the sea and lakes
8. Temperature of the atmosphere
9. Valleys
10. Changes on the surface of the globe
11. Classification of rocks
Section II: 12. Degradation of land
13. Delivery of detritus into the sea
14. Action of the sea on coasts
15. Shingle beaches
16. Sandy beaches
17. Tides
18. Currents
19. Transporting power of tides
20. Transporting power of currents
21. Active volcanos
22. Extinct volcanos
23. Mineral volcanic products
24. Volcanic dykes, etc.
25. Earthquakes
26. Gaseous exhalations
27. Deposits from springs
28. Naphtha and asphaltum springs
29. Coral reefs and islands
30. Submarine forests
31. Raised beaches and masses of shells
32. Organic remains of the modern group
Section III: 33. Erratic blocks and gravel
34. Ossiferous caverns and osseous breccia
Section IV: 35. Supracretaceous (tertiary) group
36. Volcanic action during the supracretaceous period
Section V: 37. Cretaceous group (chalk and green sand)
38. Wealden rocks
Section VI: 39. Oolitic group
Section VII: 40. Red sandstone group
Section VIII: 41. Carboniferous group
Section IX: 42. Grauwacke group
Section X: 43. Lowest fossiliferous group
Section XI: 44. Inferior stratified or non-fossiliferous rocks
Section XII: 45. Unstratified rocks
Section XIII: 46. On the mineralogical differences in contemporaneous rocks
47. On the elevation of mountains
48. On the occurrence of metals in rocks
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Earth sciences [RB]