The Great Devonian Controversy
- The Great Devonian Controversy
The Great Devonian Controversy was the result of differences in interpretation of rock formations in Devon, England that was eventually resolved in 1839.
In mapping the strata of Wales, Roderick Murchison and Adam Sedgwick wrote "Silurian and Cambrian systems" (1835) while Henry Thomas De la Beche was mapping Devon. The strata were thought to be about the same age, but a coal formation was found in strata that were much lower in the formation and, therefore, thought to be much older. This was not consistent with what was known at the time, and made even more confusing when the fossils in the formation were examined and found to have plant fossils identical to those found in Carboniferous strata higher in the section.
The exact nature of the strata were debated for several years, and interpretations of the system varied.
Murchison eventually resolved the matter after years of bitter debate.
Further reading
* Rudwick, Martin J. S. "The Great Devonian Controversy: The Shaping of Scientific Knowledge among Gentlemanly Specialists". Chicago, University of Chicaco Press. 1985.
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