Events & Courses

William Smith (23 March 1769 - 28 August 1839)

In 1815 William Smith published the first edition of his Geological Map of England and Wales.

Smith’s map made a seminal contribution to the understanding of the ground beneath our feet and by showing the location of coal, iron ore, clays and other raw materials quite literally fuelled the industrial revolution. By using fossils Smith was able to establish a relative chronology which allowed him to identify strata of the same age and to show where they occur at the surface.

In his centenary history of the Geological Society, Horace B Woodward, (1908) describes the map as “a work of genius planned and executed single handed” and it would be remiss if the bicentenary of its publication passed unnoticed.

In 2015, a number of organisations are joined together for year-long programme of events celebrating this milestone.

Events

SPONSORS