This post was originally published on here
Many geologists likely associate geological pioneers with the ‘golden age’ of geology, with the likes of James Hutton, William Buckland, Mary Anning, Roderick Murchison, Adam Sedgwick, and Charles Lyell. Mike Leeder has chosen a different time frame (late 19th to 20th centuries) and a focus on geophysical process theories over the more usual consideration of historical geology.
These are organised into five sections focused on themes of ‘Deep’, ‘Drifting’, ‘Hot’, ‘Stressful’ and ‘Climatic’, culminating with an evaluation of key theories and how they have played out in recent years. Leeder recognises that many of the theories have a heritage, sometimes stretching back centuries, so he helpfully delves into the geological ideas of earlier periods to give some backstory.
The pioneers behind all these themes are a mix of familiar and some less renowned figures whose names and roles in the development of our understanding of how the Earth works ought to be more generally prominent, so in this regard the book is enlightening. The short biographies of the main figures indicate that Leeder admires his personnel and so the book follows a ‘heroic’ tradition.
However, some important aspects are overlooked. John Tuzo Wilson is described as a ‘late convert’ to the mobilist view, who produced a ‘spectacular interpretation of oceanic fracture zones’ but there is no mention that Wilson’s concept of transform faults originated alongside PhD student Alan Coode’s concurrent work. Plus, a description of Harold Jeffreys as being rather like the ‘stiff and unyielding mantle’ that he robustly argued for seems an unnecessary remark on his character that does not match other accounts.
Leeder relates the histories from the perspective of a scientist rather than a historian of science, so the science is tackled more in the style of a textbook. Whilst most of the scientific ideas will be understood by those with a geoscience background, it still took a few re-readings to grasp the underpinning science. I was left wondering how much of this could have been recontextualised to ease reading for a general audience.
Philosopher of science Auguste Comte wrote “To understand a science, it is necessary to know its history” and overall, the engaged and mostly instructive approach taken by this book achieves Comte’s imperative for present-day physical geoscience.
Review by Duncan Hawley
DETAILS
BY: Mike Leeder (2024) Liverpool University Press, 280 pp. (hbk)
ISBN: 9781780461069
PRICE: £55 liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk
