Roderick Murchison

Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (February 19th 1792 - October 22nd 1871) is a British geologist which provided the first description of the Silurien.

It was born with Tarradale in the county from the Ross-shire in Scotland. After a military formation it serves in the British Armée during eight years during the Napoleonean wars. It Marie towards 1815 and spends two years to travel in Europe, more particularly in Italy then settles in England in 1818.

Sir Humphry Davy advises to him to turn its energy towards science and it becomes fascinated by the emergence of the Géologie. It joint the Geological Society off London of which he shows one of the most active members quickly. His/her colleagues include Adam Sedgwick, William Conybeare, William Buckland, William Fitton and Charles Lyell.

Exploring with his wife the geology of the south of England, it particularly is interested in the layers the North-West of the Sussex and its border regions with the Hampshire and the Surrey on which it writes its first scientific article in collaboration with Fitton. It makes of it reading at the geological Company of London in 1825. Turning its attention towards the geology of the continent of Europe it explores with Lyell the volcanic area of Auvergne in the south of the France, the north of the Italy, the the Tyrol and the Suisse. Shortly after with his friend Adam Sedgwick it attacks the difficult problem of the formation of the the Alps and their article writes jointly becomes one of traditional of alpine geology.

In 1831 it studies the border region between the Wales and the England to try to classify the sedimentary layers of them. From this work result the establishment from the Silurien which for the first time groups a series of geological formations each one having its own characteristics and Fossile S which it describes in The Silurian System in 1839.

It contributes then to the installation of the Dévonien by studying grounds in south-west of England and on the edges of the the Rhine in the west of the Germany. Shortly after Murchison launches out in a forwarding in Russia in order to extend to this share of the continent of Europe the classification worked out for Western Europe. It is accompanied by Edouard de Verneuil and the count Alexander von Keyserling. Their work united on Russia and the mountains of the the Ural leads to a monograph published in 1845. This publication supplements the first and more active part of its scientific career.

In 1846 it is made knight and, the same year, it chairs the British association of promotion of sciences . Until the end of its career most of its time is dedicated to the businesses of the Royal Geographical Society of which it was one of the founders and president in 1843-1845, 1851-1853, 1856-1859 and 1862-1871.

During the last decade of its life, its principal research in geology relates to the Highlands where he thought of having shown that crystalline layers of Schiste S, until credited there in term with primitive formations , are not older than the Silurien leading it to classify some Fossile S of the Cambrien in Silurien. Posterior research shows that these layers is not in their original place but, through episodes of successive dislocations, were placed above more recent layers.

In 1855, Murchison becomes director of the Société of geology of the United Kingdom , of the royal École of the mines and the museum of engineering geology , succeeding Sir Henry Of the Spade which it first held its stations. Its responsibilities occupy it much but it finds time to deal with the editions of its work Siluria (1854, 5th edition 1872), which presents work of origin on this system as well as the subsequent discoveries, in particular extension of this classification to other countries.

In 1863 it is made K.C. B. and three years later baronnet. The learned societies of the United Kingdom grant their higher rewards to him, the Royal Society the Médaille Copley, the Company of geology the Médaille Wollaston etc Of many companies of other countries name it honorary member, the French Academy of sciences rewards it by the Prix Vat and do of them one of the eight foreign members to replace Michael Faraday.

One of these last public acts is the establishment of the pulpit of geology and mineralogy to the Université of Edinburgh and the creation of the decreed Médaille Murchison each year by the geological Company of London.

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