Geological Observations on South America
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text
- Extent:
- ~150,000 words · 701 passages
Cite this work
- APACharles Darwin. (n.d.). Geological Observations on South America. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/charles-darwin/geological-observations-on-south-america
- MLACharles Darwin. "Geological Observations on South America." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/charles-darwin/geological-observations-on-south-america.
- ChicagoCharles Darwin. Geological Observations on South America. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/charles-darwin/geological-observations-on-south-america.
What it is about
The third and last of the geological volumes Darwin drew from the Beagle voyage, published in 1846.
Context and history
Darwin sailed as a naturalist but came back above all a geologist, and for years he was better known for that than for anything else. Here he describes the raised marine terraces of the Chilean coast, the fossil beds, the cordilleras and the volcanoes, and concludes that the continent has been rising slowly through immense ages. The experience that settled it he had at first hand: he was in Chile in 1835 when an earthquake lifted the coast several feet in front of him. This is the piece often left out of the story: the notion of deep time and of imperceptible accumulated change came to him from Lyell's geology and from what he saw on land, and without it the argument of 'On the Origin of Species' would not stand up.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
Although in some respects more technical in their subjects and style than Darwin’s “Journal,” the books here reprinted will never lose their value and interest for the originality of the observations they contain. Many parts of them are admirably adapted for giving an insight into problems regarding the structure and changes of the earth’s surface, and in fact they form a charming introduction to physical geology and physiography in their application to special domains. The books themselves cannot be obtained for many times the price of the present volume, and both the general reader, who desires to know more of Darwin’s work, and the student of geology, who naturally wishes to know how a master mind reasoned on most important geological subjects, will be glad of the opportunity of possessing them in a convenient and cheap form. The three introductions, which my friend Professor Judd has kindly furnished, give critical and historical information which makes this edition of special value. G.T.B. DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS. CRITICAL INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I. ON THE ELEVATION OF THE EASTERN COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA. Upraised shells of La Plata.—Bahia Blanca, Sand-dunes and Pumice-pebbles.—Step-formed plains of Patagonia, with upraised shells.—Terrace-