Archibald Geikie

Archibald Geikie (1835 to 1924) was a Scottish geologist and writer who rose to lead the geological surveys of Scotland and then of the whole United Kingdom. Born in Edinburgh, he joined the British Geological Survey in 1855 and became a lifelong friend of Roderick Murchison. In 1867 he was made director of the new Scottish branch, and in 1871 he became the first holder of the Murchison chair of geology and mineralogy at the University of Edinburgh. From 1881 until 1901 he served as Director-General of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom. His essay on the glacial drift of Scotland and his book Scenery of Scotland helped explain landscape through the slow work of erosion, and his studies of Tertiary volcanic history led to The Ancient Volcanoes of Great Britain. He also wrote the history of the science in Founders of Geology and became president of the Royal Society in 1909.