Scope and Contents

Notes for 4 lectures on the 'Volcanic History of Britain', given to the Royal Institution in 1886. Sir Archibald Geikie looked at the emergence of types of geological formations against a geological timeframe and how they have been affected by various processes, especially the action of volcanoes and materials produced by them, within the natural world. He used examples from numerous locations from different parts of the British Isles.

Scope and Contents Letter to Sir Archibald Geikie from Capt Clarence Edward Dutton telling him that he is undertaking field work in New Mexico. He is concentrating on the plateau country aided by good topographic maps of the region. He tells Geikie that there are landforms and cliffs similar to those in Utah and Arizona with exposures of Triassic, Permain and Cretaceous strata. These are overlain with evidence of volcanic activity, ancient basalt of 50-200 feet depth on the plateau. Young basalt, in vast lava...

Scope and Contents

Letter to Sir Charles Lyell from Henry Edward Bunbury regarding the eruption of Mount Etna on the 29 March 1809. He mentions volcanic activity on Etna prior to the eruption in the form of vents in the earth which issues steam and flames and that the volcano sent up jets of water during the eruption which, when falling on the lava flows, resulted in a series of explosions, 4 February 1857.