Volcanoes and earthquakes

Photos copyright © Edinburgh University Library Special Collections Division; and Special Collections, J.B. Priestley Library, University of Bradford.

After Britain experiencing its strongest earthquake in almost a quarter of a century, this month we highlight descriptions for the papers of geologists and geophysicists, travellers and photographers who have witnessed the effects of volcanoes and earthquakes. There are also links to selected websites and a brief bibliography.

Collection descriptions

• Charles Chichester (1795-1847) and Mary Chichester (1801-1876): accounts of the 1843 earthquake in the Antilles.
• Charles Lyell (1797-1875): influential geologist, fellow of the Royal Society; these papers include notes on the New Zealand earthquake of 1856.
• James David Forbes (1809-1868): scientist and traveller, Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University; investigated hot springs and volcanic activity.
• John Shaw Smith (1811-1873): traveller; this collection includes notes and photographs of a visit to Pompeii around 1850.
• Ferdinand-André Fouqué (1828-1904): French geologist, mineralogist; correspondence discussing Geikie's Ancient volcanoes of Great Britain.
• Archibald Geikie (1835-1924): first Director of the Geological Survey of Scotland, President of the Geological Society of London, and President of the Royal Society; author of Ancient volcanoes of Great Britain, 1897.
• John Wesley Judd (1840-1916): Professor of Geology, President of the Geological Society; papers include notes on volcanic eruptions, photographs of geological features, including the active volcano Stromboli, Italy.
• F.W. Rudler (1840-1915): Professor of Geology, Curator and Librarian of the Museum of Practical Geology; manuscript lecture notes on earthquakes, volcanoes, including the great eruption of Mount Pelée, Martinique, in 1902.
• Arthur T. Metcalfe (1867-1938): Fellow of the Geological Society; this collection includes photographs and notes on ancient volcanoes in Derbyshire, the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, and sites on the west coast of Scotland.
• Ebenezer John Mann (1881-1957) and Mabel Mann (1883-1977): missionaries to China; this collection includes photographs, 1920-1921, of the aftermath of the earthquake in Lanchow, Kansu province.
• E.A. Dicey (fl. 1887): account and drawings of the 1887 earthquake at Alassio, Italy.
• Arthur Holmes (1890-1965): Professor of Geology at Edinburgh University; author of Petrology of the Bufumbira volcanoes, 1937.
• Harold Jeffreys (1891-1989): geophysicist, author of The Earth, 1924.
• Bradford Students Union: following the 1963 earthquake in Skopje, Macedonia, a team of students from the Bradford Institute of Technology (later the University of Bradford) assisted in reconstruction efforts.

Related links

• NAHSTE: includes digitised correspondence, drawings and photographs from Archibald Geikie and Charles Lyell's papers (Navigational Aids for the History of Science, Technology & the Environment website)
• Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast: the Giant's Causeway is a Unesco World Heritage Site (Unesco website).
• British Geophysical Association: a joint association of the Geological Society of London and the Royal Astronomical Society.
• Geological Society: the Geological Society of London, founded in 1807.
• Geologists' Association set up in 1858, for all geologists and earth scientists, whether professional or amateur.
• Earthquakes in the British Isles: British Geological Survey website
• Colchester Natural History Museum: there was an earthquake in Colchester, Essex, in 1884.
• Earthquake felt across much of UK: February 27th, 2008 (BBC News website)
• International Year of Planet Earth: 2007-2009, promoting knowledge of Earth sciences (Unesco website)

Bibliography

Links are provided to records on Copac for these items. Copac is the free, web based national union catalogue, containing the holdings of many of the major university and National Libraries in UK and Ireland plus a number of special libraries. For more information about accessing items see the FAQs on the Copac website.

• Glen V. Berg The Skopje, Yugoslavia earthquake, July 26, 1963 Records on Copac
• Archibald Geikie The ancient volcanoes of Great Britain Records on Copac
• Harold Jeffreys The earth : its origin, history and physical constitution sixth edition 1976. Records on Copac
• Terry Jennings Volcanoes and earthquakes Records on Copac
• W.J. McGuire (ed.) The archaeology of geological catastrophes Records on Copac
• Philip S. Watson The giant's causeway and the North Antrim coast Records on Copac

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