Old Rock Day

Happy Old Rock Day!

"What is Old Rock Day", you may be asking? Well, since you all asked so nicely, I'm going to tell you! Old Rock Day is a day for celebrating geology, and geologists. The word "geology" comes from Ancient Greece, and it basically means "study of the earth". A person who studies geology is known as a geologist. Geologists study the rocks of the Earth and other worlds, as well as how they change over time. This branch of science overlaps with other Earth sciences due to, well, everything living on Earth.

Humanity's interest in the Earth and its rocks stretches as far back as antiquity. For example, in 540 BC, Greek poet and philosopher Xenophanes would describe the fossils of fish and shells he would find out in the mountains. The more famous Aristotle would make observations of how the Earth changed, with his Lyceum successor Theophrastus that would make the biggest leaps in geological study with his work On Stones. And no, it was not about being stoned. Either the punishment or being high. Although getting an Ancient Greek philosopher high sounds hilarious.

Interest and research would continue on. In the Middle Ages, Abu al-Rayhan al-Biruni wrote one of the earliest works on the geology of India, theorizing it was once a sea. Persian physician Ibn Sina and Chinese statesman Shen Kuo would also contribute greatly to the understanding of the Earth's geology during this time.

The first usage of the word 'geology' is credited to Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi in 1603. The first large-scale geological maps would go on to be made by British geologist William Smith based on his studies of fossil records in the late 1700s. This would cause him to be regarded as the "Father of English Geology". In 1785, Scottish physician and agriculturalist James Hutton wrote a paper called "The Theory of the Earth", which he presented to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Studying the geology of his native Scotland, he theorized that rocks could be used to figure out the natural history of the Earth. As such, he became known as the father of modern geology. 

In 1809, Scottish geographer and cartographer William Maclure became 'The Father of American Geology' when he produced the first geographical map of the USA. And from there, many more men and women worked to find the secrets of our world's history through its rocks and fossils. 

So, yeah. Geology has been quite important to help the world's inhabitants understand this big ol' ball of rock and magma we live on. Just something to think on. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!