The geological sciences in Australia — a brief historical review

Abstract

This review outlines the development of geology in Australia. It discusses the growth of the major organizations which have contributed to the gathering of data, originating in the early Colonial surveys, particularly the Victorian Survey under A.R.C. Selwyn which operated from 1852 to 1869. From Selwyn's survey came many of the pioneers of stratigraphic mapping in the other colonies. Earlier work of significance was carried out by Stutchbury, Clarke, Strzelecki and others, but their attempts at stratigraphic system were thwarted by inadequate data and the confusion caused by the coal measures of New South Wales which were not Carboniferous but Permian. Although geology was taught in the Universities by people such as McCoy, Tate and Liversidge from the 1850s, it did not flower until some forty years later when T.W. Edgeworth David became a major influence. David's pupils included Mawson, Woolnough, Browne and Andrews, all of whom influenced the course of the science in Australia. Federal interest in geology grew from small beginnings about 1910 and led to the eventual formation of the Bureau of Mineral Resources in 1946 and CSIRO in 1949. The late 1940s were also marked by a parallel growth in the work of the State geological surveys (direct descendants of the original Colonial surveys). Mining and geology were linked from the early days through the work of Government surveys but independent company geologists and consultants were rare prior to 1940, with several notable exceptions. Companies have generally given strong support to some of the professional institutions which date from the 1880s. The societies have played an important role in publishing geological papers and helping to maintain contact between geologists in far flung parts of the continent. Examination of the many papers published shows that there have been some major areas of interest to Australian geologists. In particular the Permian, glaciation, geomorphology and the building of Australia have been singled out for brief comment. The recently published “Tectonic Map of the Continent” [Geological Society of Australia, 1971] summarizes our knowledge of the continent.