1 April 1845 |
The Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland comes into existence by Act of Parliament. Henry De la Beche is the first Director. |
1854–1867 |
Geologists are based in London and visit Scotland for field work, with a small temporary store for maps and specimens at the Industrial Museum of Scotland. |
August 1854 |
Nature of the Geological Survey of Scotland is decided between De La Beche, Jukes and Ramsay. Mapping to proceed at a scale of six inches to one mile. |
Autumn 1854 |
Ramsay begins mapping Old Red Sandstone and carboniferous around Dunbar. |
1855 |
H.H. Howell and Archibald Geikie map Berwickshire, Lothians and Fife. |
1855 |
Murchison succeeds De La Beche as Director General. |
1858 |
J.W. Salter the Palaeontologist from London visits East Lothian to study the fossils and help with the correlation of the Carboniferous strata. |
1859 |
First one-inch geological map is published. Sheet 32 Edinburgh. |
1861 |
First sheet memoir is published for Edinburgh District, includes a list of Silurian and Carboniferous fossils compiled by J.W. Salter. |
1861 |
Geikie shows James (Paraffin) Young the outcrop of the oil-shales - this is the basis of the new oil-shale industry. |
1861 |
Decision made to start mapping the superficial deposits - sands, gravels and clays deposited by former glaciers. |
1861 |
Howells replaced by James Geikie and John Young. |
1862 |
Ben Peach joins the Survey. |
1867 |
Geological Survey of Scotland gets its new Identity - Offices open in Edinburgh. A Geikie is Director, Edward Hull is Deputy. |
1867–1869 |
Geological Survey of Scotland is housed in Argyle Square at the Museum of Science and Art (formerly Industrial Museum of Scotland). |
1867–1870 |
New recruits: J. Horne, D.I. Irvine, R.L. Jack, H.M. Skae, J. Croll, C.R. Campbell. |
1869 |
James Geikie becomes Assistant Director. |
1869–1879 |
Geological Survey of Scotland housed at No. 1 India buildings, Victoria Street. |
1871 |
R. Etheridge, Jun. Is the first Palaeontologist to be appointed to the Survey in Scotland. Previously Scottish palaeontological work was undertaken in London. |
1875 |
Mapping attention turns to the Highlands. |
1875 |
New recruits - J.S. Grant Wilson, J. Linn. |
1879–1905 |
Peach now undertakes all the Palaeontological work in Scotland. |
1879–1906 |
Geological Survey of Scotland is now located on the other side of George IV Bridge in the Sherriff Court Buildings. |
1882 |
A. Geikie becomes Director General. |
1882–1899 |
J.H.H. Howells Director in Scotland. |
1884 |
G. Barrow, C.T. Clough, E.H. Cunningham-Craig, J.R. Dakyns, W. Gunn and H. Miller are transferred from England to speed up mapping of Scotland. |
1860–1884 |
Highland Controversy about the nature of the succession in the North-west Highlands. |
1884 |
Highland Controversy resolved, following detailed mapping by Peach and Horne and in conjunction with Charles Lapworth. |
1888–1898 |
Resurvey of the Southern Uplands by Peach and Horne. |
1891 |
Geological photography started by the Survey. R. Lunn, who started in the Survey in 1874 as a boy porter, undertakes the photography using plate cameras and glass negatives. |
1890s |
A. Harker begins mapping of volcanic rocks of south Skye, and H.B. Woodward from the English survey is sent to map the Jurassic rocks of Skye and Raasay. |
1899 |
The Silurian Rocks of Scotland - the famous memoir coving the Southern Uplands is published. |
1901 |
A. Geikie retires as Director General and J.J.H. Teall takes over, but under the title 'Director'. |
1901–1911 |
John Horne now Assistant to the Director (Head of the Scottish Survey). |
1902 |
Detailed revision of the coalfield begins. |
1905 |
Ben Peach retires after 43 years service. |
1906 |
Geological Survey moves to 33 George Square, former home of Sir Noel Paton, a famous Scottish artist. |
1906 |
First edition of the oil-shale memoir is published. |
1908 |
The North West Highlands of Scotland - the famous and historic memoir elucidating the geology of the area is published. |
1909 |
Last hand-coloured sheets 36 Kilmartin [Solid] and Kilmartin [Drift]. |
1910 |
Colour printed one-inch maps from this date. Revised map of Edinburgh (32), Geological map of Arran (Special sheet), Haddington (33) and Glenelg (71). |