Hello everyone! My name is Lyle
Seeligson, and I’m excited to spend this week in England, where I’ll be visiting
London, the Jurassic Coast, and Oxford. My purpose in doing so is to learn more
about the history of geology and paleontology, as well as the individuals, discoveries,
and theories coming out of England that contributed to these sciences,
especially in the nineteenth century. I’ve always been interested in how various
people and groups see themselves in relation to the natural world, and why this
perception changes as a result of different societal and natural forces and
events.[1] A
thorough understanding of the social, spiritual, and scientific ideas that
determine how we perceive and value the natural world can not only provide an
important perspective into the history of the natural sciences, changes to the
environment, and human social attitudes, but can also give
guidance as to how to protect the natural world in the future. I firmly believe that the best way to develop a strategy for safeguarding the environment for the future is to understand how people have used and viewed it in the past.
The Jurassic Coast is a great place
to start! First, a bit of background about the area. The Jurassic Coast was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 for it’s value to the study of
geology. As you walk along the 95-mile coastline, you can see rocks and
geological formations from almost all of the Mesozoic Era, including the
Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Being able to see such a long time
period in a small area allowed scientists in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries to develop theories about Earth’s history and how the present-day
planet was formed. One key idea that came to light during this time period, in
part due to this area and those who studied it, was “deep time”—basically, the
realization that the earth is old. Really
old. We may take this for granted now, but, especially in a Christian
society such as England, this was a revolutionary and potentially blasphemous concept
to grapple with. Indeed, many geologists at this time made great attempts to square
their reading of the Old Testament with what these ancient rocks were telling
them. Additionally, the fossils, especially of marine reptiles, that were also
found and studied in this area helped lead to the development of paleontology
as a science. These ancient creatures introduced to many the idea of a time
before humans, as well as the concept of extinction, a tricky idea to conceive
in a religious society (why would a divine power create a species only to destroy it?). So, this area and its history is certainly a valuable
example of how perceptions of nature can change over time, specifically when driven by
scientific discovery.
Now that I’ve explained more why
I’m here, I’ll get into the trip itself, starting with my time in London. On
Friday, I ubered straight from my last day at work in Austin to the airport. After
spending Saturday afternoon in London to acclimate, I went on Sunday to the
Natural History Museum to see its collection of fossils from the Jurassic
Coast. I was joined at the museum by two friends who were also in London; luckily for me, they were very patient with me as I went extremely slowly
through the exhibits. We were all struck by the beauty of the building itself,
and the sight of the blue whale skeleton hanging in the entrance hall was very
impressive. I was also excited to see how many people were at the museum—it was
completely packed, and I loved seeing adults and kids alike excited to see the
exhibits.
The Natural History Museum. Quite an amazing building!
Our first stop was the Fossil
Marine Reptiles gallery, where there were rows of framed plesiosaur and ichthyosaur
fossils, many from the Jurassic Coast, completely covering almost every inch of
the wall. Each fossil was labeled with information about the species, the age
of the fossil, and where it was discovered, in addition to any unique features
of noteworthy examples.
The exhibit walls were completely covered in fossil specimens, down a long hallway. While such a large number was a little overwhelming if you were trying to pay close attention to the information about each specimen, as a whole unit the sight was very impressive.
Some specimens were more complete than others, or had
an interesting backstory about their recovery or their relative significance
that merited additional explanation. For example, one fossil had a womb full of
fetuses that were also fossilized, and another was even preserved at the time
of actually giving birth. Both of these specimens had clear indications of
where the embryos were and why these specimens in particular were significant.
This ichthyosaur was fossilized as she was giving birth-- you can see her baby coming out tail-first on the right side. Wild!
The exhibit also took great efforts
to bring light to one fossil collector in particular: Mary Anning. During the
nineteenth century, Anning was a resident of Lyme Regis (on the Jurassic Coast)
who made her living selling fossils to visitors, collectors, and scientists.
Not only did she carry out the often dangerous work of walking under the cliffs
near her home to collect specimens (her dog was actually killed in a rockslide
during one excursion), but she also carefully analyzed and provided her own
commentary about the organisms she was studying. Over time, she gained the
respect and admiration of many geologists and paleontologists of her time (more
on who some of these individuals were later), who sometimes would go out to collect
with her and buy her specimens. As the exhibit at the Natural History Museum
noted, she discovered skeletons of both
ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs (the first complete one ever found), as well as
posited theories about what became known as coprolites (fossilized feces).
However, she was rarely credited for her accomplishments by the male scientists
who published papers using her specimens. In recent years, there has been an
increased interest in Anning and her contributions to science (books, articles,
etc.—now Kate Winslet is playing her in an upcoming biopic). As such, the
museum is also making efforts to feature her in their exhibits.
While I applaud people within the
scientific community thinking introspectively about its history of injustices
and slights towards marginalized groups, I was somewhat disappointed with how
the museum portrayed Anning here. Firstly, possibly due to space issues or to
bring attention to Anning, in the exhibit Anning’s description and portrait
were placed next to the largest plesiosaur fossil in the room. The specimen was
enormous—I mentioned in awe to my friends how incredible and overwhelming it
must have been for Anning to discover something like that. However, after my initial
excitement, I was disappointed to learn that the huge fossil right next to
Anning’s portrait wasn’t actually one that she discovered; hers was actually
higher up on the wall and not as prominent, even somewhat difficult to read
about due to its height. This may not have been intentional on the museum’s
part and could’ve been just a spacing issue, but besides being somewhat
misleading, I think it would have been more interesting to put Anning’s own
discovery in a more prominent space on the wall next to her portrait.
Additionally, every specimen that was discovered by Anning and other members of
her family had a note on the descriptive plaques conveying this, as well as
some sort of story about how the fossil was discovered by someone in the Anning
family. However, almost every other fossil didn’t have such a descriptive
backstory noted; in fact, it was often unclear who actually discovered the
fossil. For example, one name listed often on the descriptions of each fossils was “Conybeare”—this refers to William Conybeare, a nineteenth-century
geologist whose work helped to identify and describe ichthyosaurs and
plesiosaurs. Even knowing this information, however, I was under the impression
that the fossils with his name listed were discovered by him; that is, until
there was a fossil with both his name and a note about how Mary Anning was the
one who discovered it. I’m assuming now that the names of Conybeare and other
scientists on the plaques refer to who identified the specimens or from whose
collection the museum acquired them, but it's not clear. I think it’s
great that the museum wants to highlight Anning and give her the recognition
she deserves, but I think the information presented about her should be as
straightforward as possible. Additionally, there is also opportunity to discuss
multiple geologic figures within one exhibit, especially if they’re going to
put their names on the plaques anyway without context and create unnecessary
confusion.
Mary Anning's plesiosaur fossil (the first complete specimen ever found) is on the center right. To the left is a larger pliosaur, not discovered by Anning but by which Anning's description and painting can be seen in the far left of the photo, pretty far removed from her own discovery.
An example of the descriptive plaque that accompanied Anning's major plesiosaur fossil. The note on the right says that it was discovered by her, but Conybeare's name is next to the animal's scientific name with no context, which was typical of many of the plaques.
After moving away from the wall
full of framed fossils, which stood out for its grand appearance and simple yet
elegant design, we went upstairs to the exhibit on the history of the earth,
which was aggressively more modern. There were flashing lights, projected
graphics, and interactive displays. There was even a dramatic entrance
monologue in the background, though it wasn't properly timed started quite a bit after we walked
in. The exhibit included a plethora of electronic interactive features, which,
while somewhat dated (the graphics were pretty fuzzy, and one part of the
exhibit talked about the “planet” Pluto), definitely kept people engaged
throughout the long exhibit.
Poor Pluto. You'll always be a planet in my heart :(
Another slightly dated interactive feature-- this is my friend next to a fan labeled "Earth's Atmosphere." We couldn't really figure out how the fan came into that, but we had fun playing with it nonetheless!
The information in the exhibit
seemed to be… everything. In summary, the formation of the earth and all life
on it. As such, there was an enormous amount of information, and by the end of
the exhibit we were all exhausted just by the sheer number of specimens,
images, and informational paragraphs to look at. However, I was impressed by
the clear and understandable description of geologic strata and geologic time
in one part of the exhibit, which was very helpful to me in visualizing what I
was preparing to see at the Jurassic Coast.
A good representation of the geologic record, which can help illuminate the history of the earth by explaining layering strata of different rocks and attaching those rocks to different geologic eras. The ones at the top are the youngest, and they get older the farther down you go.
Additionally, there was a very
creative section about the geology of the United Kingdom, with suitcases filled with rock souvenirs
from “travels” corresponding to different geologic areas. However, it’s
unfortunate that it was at the end of the exhibit in a side area, as I think
most people walked past it after being overwhelmed by the informational and
sensory overload of the exhibit as a whole. As my friend put it, “This exhibit
is cool, but the fossil one is more timeless.” You never have to upgrade the
laser displays of a fossil!
Some of the suitcases that were part of the UK geology section. The first one, the Dorset Coast, is where I'll be going soon!
Overall, my friends and I really
enjoyed our visit to the Natural History Museum, and I thought the exhibits
were very enjoyable and informative, and the museum itself was quite beautiful.
On Monday morning, I was able to
visit the library of the Geological Society at Burlington House, which is also
home to other academic institutions, like the Royal Astronomical Society, and the Royal Academy of Arts.
Some background on the Geological Society: it was founded in 1807 for scientists
(mostly from a wealthy background) to gather and discuss geology, which was a
budding field at the time. Members would read and debate scientific papers and
theories about geological processes, the age and identification of geological
strata/time periods, and fossil discoveries. Eventually, its membership and
scientific contribution became significant enough that it was given a royal
charter from King George IV. It’s currently the oldest national geological society
in the world, and one of the most famous and respected of its kind.
The door to the library of the Geological Society.
In preparation for this trip, I’ve
been reading about the Geological Society during the nineteenth century and some of its members, many of whom studied
and theorized about the Jurassic Coast, other parts of Great Britain, and even
other places in Europe. Luckily for me, the librarian was kind enough to pull out some books from the collection that I had requested beforehand. I
was able to look at volumes on the Jurassic Coast and the history of the
Geological Society, as well as books by some of the Society’s more famous
fellows. These included books by James Hutton, who introduced the idea of uniformitarianism
(the concept that geological processes take place slowly over time and are
constantly occurring, in contrast to catastrophism, which posits that geologic
features are made in sudden, violent occurrences), and Charles Lyell, who
expanded upon and popularized this theory and geology in general with his work Principles of Geology. Lyell's book and ideas were very influential on his friend and admirer Charles Darwin, who studied geology himself. Indeed, many concepts pertaining to evolution have their roots in geology, especially concerning gradual development over long periods of time, as well as the extinction and changing of species (as shown in fossil records). Additionally, I
was able to look at a book by Reverend William Buckland, an eccentric geologist
and paleontologist who lectured at Oxford, where I’ll be visiting later this
week.
Look! They named a room after me!
The receptionist at the library also pulled back the curtains in the
foyer covering two famous and very beautiful maps of the geology of England and Wales,
one by William Smith and one by George Greenough. Smith's map, showing the
geological strata and age of different types of rock across the country in the form of a horizontal cross-section, was the first of its kind and made waves within the community of geologists in England at the time of its publication. The second map, which Greenough, the first
president of the Geological Society, based upon Smith’s, is a more detailed
version with more precise identifications and notes of topographical features
as well as geological age. Both maps, however, do make specific note of where
coal could be found, showing one of the driving forces of the development of
geology as a science, especially in its early years: to assist in the
collection of mineral resources.
Smith (left) and Greenough's maps. The darkest colors in both maps are indicative of where coal can be found.
It was great to be able to put
images to some of the works and individuals I had been reading about. Beyond
that, however, the library itself was a wonderful place to visit. The
architecture and furnishings were quite pretty, and there were paintings and
busts of famous members, along with some random momentos of their lives (I
laughed at the fact that two armchairs previously belonging to Smith were perfectly preserved, carefully labeled and roped off).
One librarian took me back to their map room, which, while not
particularly stunning itself, was cool to see because of the sheer amount of
maps they had from across the world.
The Upper Library
The fellows' meeting room. Not sure if I was technically allowed to be in here, but the door was unlocked and there was no sign saying to keep out!
That's okay, it doesn't look that comfortable anyway.
Where's the map to the Map Room?
Additionally, it was obvious that the Geological Society was, like the Natural History Museum, trying to bring attention to the work of female
geologists; furthermore, the Geological Society this year is celebrating the
100th anniversary of women being elected as members. Throughout the
library, there were display boxes with information and possessions of its significant
female members, including Janet Watson, the first female president of the
Geological Society, and Margaret Crosfield, its first female fellow. I
appreciated how these display cases had items like journals, hand-drawn maps,
and personal possessions that gave good and accurate insight into the thought
processes and individual characteristics of these women.
The hand-drawn maps and notes of Janet Watson, the Society's first female president.
After I left the museum, I went
straight to Waterloo station to head out for the Jurassic Coast, which I will
talk about in my next post. Overall, a great weekend in London that I think set
me up well for the sights awaiting me on the coast.
[1]
It’s difficult to pin down exactly how to describe what people define as the
“natural world,” as the concept is influenced by a mixture of many things,
including science, human customs, and spirituality, among others. It can be
subjective and messy. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll use “natural world,”
“nature,” and “environment” interchangeably in this blog, though they could potentially
refer to different ideas.
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