The first geological map of Scotland

Abstract

The earliest geological map of Scotland1 was published in Paris in the year 1820. It formed one of the illustrations to Dr Ami Boué’s ‶Essai Géologique sur L’Écosse,″2 and measured about 10 inches by 8 inches, being on the scale of about 40 miles to an inch. The map was roughly hand-coloured and in consequence all the existing copies do not agree, but it is of considerable importance to us as the first attempt to show the whole of Scotland on one sheet, and it gives us a very clear idea of the state of geological knowledge of our country 115 years ago. Before that time much work had been done on Scottish geology and many scientific papers had appeared on that subject. Probably the earliest writings which are still of use were Sinclar’s (1672, p. 262) ‶Account of the Midlothian Coalfield,″ which is quite modern in its point of view. There is also an excellent account of the Clackmannan coalfield by Robert Bald (1811). We must not forget, of course, the work done by Hutton and Playfair in Arran, Glen Tilt, and in Berwickshire. These memoirs are still of enduring interest. Much, however, that had been published was of a different order. For many years it had been known that the west side of the island of Staffa possessed a marvellous range of hexagonal columns formed of a rock which was recognised as basalt. The first authority who discerned the importance of this occurrence was apparently Sir Joseph Banks