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William Smith's Geological Map of England and Wales

Episode 6 of 8

Nicholas Crane examines maps that changed the face of Britain. William Smith's 1815 Geological Map of England and Wales.

Modern explorer Nicholas Crane deciphers William Smith's extraordinary underground map of 1815, on an arduous geological journey that explores why it's much more than simply a cartographic masterpiece.

No-one thought rocks were that important until they studied Smith's revolutionary, multi-coloured geological map of Britain. Years before Darwin, Smith overturned all the existing ideas about mineral prospecting, fossils and the origins of the earth. He demonstrated that the world was far, far older than people had thought.

Nicholas Crane investigates how Smith arrived at his ideas, how he discovered that coal is always found in the company of particular fossils, and that layers of different rock confirm that creation was not one event but a multimillion year process.

30 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Nicholas Crane
Producer David Wilson

Broadcast