Geological Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast in the United Kingdom is a World Heritage Site and one of the most significant geological and geomorphological locations on earth. Its geology, which dates from the Triassic through the Cretaceous Ages, features a remarkable fossil record, including the remains of dinosaurs. The Jurassic Coast also boasts extraordinary landforms, such as huge landslips, raised beaches, dry valleys, shingle barriers, and coastal lagoons. Many leading geologists, geomorphologists, and paleontologists have worked in the area, making the Jurassic Coast a nexus for the study of earth science. Geological Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast describes the importance of the site and examines the lives and achievements of over forty individuals who studied it. Progressing chronologically, the book tells the stories of early researchers, fossil collectors, geological mappers, stratigraphers, and paleontologists from the seventeenth century to today. These include such groundbreaking figures as Robert Hooke, Mary Anning, William Buckland, William Conybeare, Henry De La Beche, W.J. Arkell, and Joseph Prestwich. Written to appeal to both specialists and general readers, Geological Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast will be of interest to historians of science, geologists and geomorphologists, and students and visitors to the area.

Andrew Goudie DSc, Emeritus Professor of Geography and former Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Oxford, Honorary Fellow of Hertford College, and the former Master of St. Cross College, is a recipient of a Royal Medal from the Royal Geographical Society, the Mungo Park Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and the Farouk El-Baz Award of the Geological Society of America. He has been Chair of the British Geomorphological Research Group, President of the Geographical Association, and President of the International Association of Geomorphologists. He is the author of Discovering Landscape in England and Wales (1985), The Landforms of England and Wales (1990), Great Warm Deserts of the World (2002), The Human Impact (eighth edition, 2018), Great Desert Explorers (2016), and Landscapes and Landforms of England and Wales (2020). He is a former Trustee of the Jurassic Coast Trust. Denys Brunsden OBE, DSc, FKC, Emeritus Professor, King's College, London, is a geomorphologist specialising in landslides and coastal erosion, the founder of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and a former President of the British Society of Geomorphology, the Geographical Association, and the International Association of Geomorphologists. He was also the first Chairman of the Dorset Coast Forum. He proposed the Dorset and East Devon Coast for World Heritage Site designation and worked with Malcolm Turnbull, Tim Badman, David Andrew, Andy Price, and many others to achieve this and to write the scientific case. He co-authored with Tim Badman The Official Guide to the Jurassic Coast, Dorset and East Devon's World Heritage Coast: A Walk Through Time (2003). In 2010, Denys was awarded the R.H. Worth Prize by the Geological Society for this work. He had previously received the William Smith and Glossop Medal awards from the Society. Denys was a Trustee of the Jurassic Coast Trust until 2017, when he became a Patron.