Geology and Revelation: or, the Ancient History of the Earth, considered in the geological facts and revealed religion.Molloy, Gerald
Religion
Geology and Revelation: or, the Ancient History of the Earth, considered in the geological facts and revealed religion.
Molloy, Gerald
Bible and geology; Bible and science
attention. Group C has entirely disappeared, and is not to be found in
this district; while between A and B there is a new group of rocks that
he has not seen before, with a collection of Fossils different from a,
b, and c. We will call this new group X, and its Fossils x. It is clear
that the formation of X must have intervened between the formation of
A and B; and the chronological order now stands A, X, B, C. In like
manner another district may disclose a fourth group of strata, say Y,
intervening between B and C. The chronological order will then stand A,
X, B, Y, C. And thus the Geologist pursues his explorations until he
has gone through the whole country, and arranged the principal groups
of strata according to the order of time in which they were deposited.
In this way the whole of England has been minutely explored during the
last half century. The task was first undertaken by William Smith,
who is justly called the Father of English Geology. After multiplied
researches, extending over a space of many years, during which he
travelled the whole country on foot, this eminent man published in
1815 his Geological Map of England and Wales with part of Scotland; a
work which is described by Sir Charles Lyell as “a lasting monument of
original talent and extraordinary perseverance.” Hundreds followed in
the same course, exploring every day new districts, and, by the new
facts which they brought to light, supplying what was wanting in the
work of Smith, correcting what was faulty, and confirming what was
true; until at length, in our day, it may be said that the Stratified
Rocks of England are almost as well known and as completely mapped out
as are its counties and its towns, its rivers, lakes, and mountains.
Meanwhile, Geologists were not idle in other parts of the world.
Germany, France, Italy, even many districts of America and
Australia, have been diligently explored according to the same
principles as England. And by a comparison of the observations
made, the Chronological order of strata over a considerable part
of the Earth, but more particularly of Europe, has been now pretty
fairly ascertained. This order we have attempted to set forth in an
intelligible and sensible form by means of the table here annexed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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