Archibald Geikie
Images
Timeline
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 1835 | Born December 28th in Edinburgh. Educated at Edinburgh High School and University. |
| 1855 | Joined Geological Survey of Scotland. |
| 1860 | Accompanied Murchison to north-west and central Highlands. |
| Early survey work with H.H. Howell in Haddington. Then mapped area in Midlothian west of the coalfield, from Arthur’s Seat and the Pentlands to Bathgate Hills and north into Fife. | |
| 1861 | Geologist. |
| Joint paper with Murchison to Geological Society “On the altered rocks of the Western Islands of Scotland and the North-west and Central Highlands”. Interpretation generally accepted till 1878 when controversy reopened. “Chronology of the Trap Rocks of Sc | |
| 1862 | Important paper to Glasgow Geological Society “The Glacial Drift of Scotland” (1863). |
| 1865 | “Scenery of Scotland” (3 editions). |
| Mapped large areas of Old Red Sandstone in Midlothian, Lanark, Ayr, Fife, Perth and Kinross. | |
| Made series of traverses in basin of Moray Firth, Caithness, Orkney, Shetland. Results embodied in “Old Red Sandstone of Europe” (T.R.S.E. 1878). | |
| 1867 | Director for Scotland. |
| Important paper to Royal Society suggesting Tertiary age of basaltic plateaux of Ireland, West of Scotland and Iceland. Visited the Auvergne, Eifel district and South Italy. | |
| 1871 | Elected to newly-founded Murchison Professorship of Geology and Mineralogy at Edinburgh; resigned 1881. |
| 1879 | Paper to Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh “Carboniferous Volcanic Rocks of the Firth of Forth”. |
| Visited lava fields in Idaho on Pacific slope of US. (prior to lectures at Lowell Institute, Boston). Suggested similar origin for Tertiary volcanic plateaux of west. Europe. | |
| 1882 | Director-General |
| 1884 | Geikie published new work and views (Peach and Horne) in “Nature” November 13th. |
| 1888 | Memoir to Royal Society of Edinburgh “History of volcanic action during Tertiary Period in British Isles” (results of 25 years of work). |
| 1901 | Retired. |
| 1924 | Died 10th November. |
| 1861 | “Life of Edward Forbes” (with Wilson). |
| 1869 | “Memoir of J.D. Forbes”. |
| “Life of Murchison”. | |
| 1880 | “Text book of Geology”. |
| 1887 | “Geological sketches at home and abroad”. |
| 1895 | “Life of Ramsay”. |
| 1897 | “Ancient volcanoes of Great Britain”. |
| 1904 | “Scottish reminiscences” and “Primers on geology and physical geology. Class book of geology “Field Geology”. |
| 1897 | Lectures at John Hopkins University, Baltimore, afterwards published as “Founders of Geology”. |
| Later works “Landscape in History”, and “Love of Nature among the Romans”. | |
| President Geological Society 1891,1892,1907; President British Association 1892; President of Royal Society 1908-1913; Trustee B.M.; Member of 1851 Exhibition Commissioners; Member of Council of British School of Rome; Governor of Harrow School 1892-1922; | |
| F.R.S. 1865; Knighted 1891; K.C.B. 1907; O.M.1913; and Officier de la Legion d’Honneur; Associe Etranger de l’Institut de France; etc. Hon. Degrees from Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin, Glasgow, Aberdeen, St. Andrews, Durham, Birmingham, Sheffield, L | |
| Gold Medals from: Geological Society; Royal Geographical Society of Scotland; Royal Society of Edinburgh; Royal Society of London; Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. |
Biographies and obituaries
Times November 12th 1924
Geological Magazine (1890) p. 49
Geological Magazine (1924) p.515
Proceedings Royal Society B. XCIX (1926) p. i.
Archibald Geikie — Wikipedia article
Publications
142 works listed in the BGS Library catalogue
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 1963 | Memoir: East Berwick (1963). |
| 1869 | Memoir: Turnberry Castle (1869). |
| 1900 | Memoir: Fife & Kinross (1900). |
| 1902 | Memoir: Eest Fife (1902). |
| 1866 | Contibuted to Memoir: E. Lothian. (1866). |
| 1861 | Contibuted to Memoir: Edinburgh etc. (1861). |
| 1869 | Contibuted to Memoir: Peebles. (1869). |
| 1869 | Contibuted to Memoir: Ayr. (1869). |
| 1869 | Contibuted to Memoir: Girvan. (1869). |
| 1872 | Contibuted to Memoir: N. Ayrshire. (1872). |
| 1873 | Contibuted to Memoir: Central Lanarkshire. (1873). |
| 1873 | Contibuted to Memoir: Stranraer. (1873). |
| 1873 | Contibuted to Memoir: Whithorn, Burrow Head. (1873). |
| 1871 | Contibuted to Memoir: Sanquhar. (1871). |
| 1877 | Contibuted to Memoir: Dumfries. (1877). |
| 1903 | Contibuted to Memoir: N. Arran. (1903). |
| 1879 | Contibuted to Memoir: Airdrie etc. (1879). |
| 1907 | Contibuted to Memoir: N.W. Highlands. (1907). Editor. |
BGS archives
| Ref No | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GSM/DC/A/C/6/242 | A Geikie: Minute of appointment. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/7/197 | A Geikie: Minute of promotion. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/7/478,519 | A Geikie: Letters to R I Murchison on various Survey matters. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/7/519 | A Geikie: Letter on display of collections in Edinburgh. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/8/ | A Geikie: Letter on accommodation in Edinburgh. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/8/116, 140, 157, 173 | A Geikie: Letters to R.I. Murchison on various Survey matters. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/8/116,157 | A Geikie: Letter on accommodation in Edinburgh. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/8/172-3 | A Geikie: Letter on extra leave. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/8/273-5 | A Geikie: Letter on appointment as Professor. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/14/158 | A Geikie: Letters about his appointment and promotion | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/15/148 | A Geikie: Letters about the appointment and promotion of Geikie | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/15/199, 201, 224 | A Geikie: Letters to R I Murchison on various Survey matters. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/15/224 | A Geikie: Letter on sale of maps | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/15/? | A Geikie: Manuscript song sung by Geikie at an Annual Dinner | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/16/148 | A Geikie: Letter concerning Geikie's visit to the Lipari Islands | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/17/38 | A Geikie: Letters about the appointment and promotion of Geikie | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/23/80,82,95-96,105 | A Geikie: Letters on need for a Porter in Edinburgh. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/24/15 | A Geikie: Letters on a vacancy. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/24/61,67,74 | A Geikie: Letters on a lack of space in Edinburgh. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/24/217,226 | A Geikie: Letters on the porter's salary. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/24/271-3 | A Geikie: Letters on leave of absence. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/24/309-313 | A Geikie: Letters on chemical apparatus. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/25/48 | A Geikie: Staff changes. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/25/64,68 | A Geikie: Time for completion of survey of Scotland. | |
| GSM/DC/A/C/26 | Original letters sent to Director. [Series 'D'] | Correspondence of A. Geikie. |
| GSM/DC/A/C/27 | Original letters sent to Director. [Series 'D'] | Correspondence of A.Geikie. |
| GSM/DR | Directors Papers | The following records form the personal and scientific papers of the Director's of the Survey... |
| GSM/DR/Ft/A/2 | Correspondence on range of issues: letters to Bromehead, C.Davidson, H.Dewey, Fairley, A.Geikie... | |
| GSM/DR/Ge | Archibald Geikie | Geikie was born in 1835. He joined the Survey in 1855 and became Director for Scotland in 1867... |
| GSM/DR/Ge/A/5 | Correspondence on various matters: letters to J.Craik, J.Evans, F.H.Hatch, J.Horne, D.R.Irvine, B... | |
| GSM/DR/Ge/A/7 | Correspondence, minutes and papers of A. Geikie on range of issues including statement on... | |
| GSM/DR/St/A/27 | (1) Sir A Geikie (2) Prestwich: Particulars in the life of Sir Andrew Ramsay | |
| GSM/GL/Bw | Henry William Bristow | Bristow joined the Survey at the outset in 1845 as one of six field staff. He worked on the... |
| GSM/GL/Bw/29/156 | A Geikie: Progress in Scotland. | |
| GSM/GL/Ht/1 | Correspondence with other geologists. Letters to Dakyns, A.Geikie, F.W.Rudler, and W.Ussher as... | |
| GSM/GL/Rd | Clement Reid | Clement Reid joined the Survey in 1874. He was the author of 'The Pliocene Deposits of Britain... |
| GSM/GX/Ha/1 | Letters to J Geikie and three printed items | "The Lament o' St Giles's Bells", "Early Flint Tools" by "Naturalist" and pages 3-6 of a paper on... |
| GSM/GX/Wa/1 | Letters from A R Wallace to J Geikie | |
| GSM/MG/C/12/67 | W.H. Flower: Mentioned in letter from W.J. Wharton to A. Geikie. | |
| GSM/MG/C/12/117 | R.H. Jones: Letter to A. Geikie about asbestos from Canada. | |
| GSM/MG/C/12/142 | W. Miller: Letter to A. Geikie about specimens from British Honduras. | |
| GSM/MG/C/12/222 | W.J. Wharton: Letter to A. Geikie about specimens from China. | |
| GSM/MG/P/4/50 | Letter to F.W. Rudler with a letter from A. Geikie to Rudler. |