W. H. Fitton's Geology of Australia's Coasts, 1826

Abstract

In an appendix to Phillip Parker King's 1826 book Narrative of a Survey of the ... Coasts of Australia..., W. H. Fitton attempted, largely on the basis of the rock specimens collected on King's and earlier expeditions, to summarize the geological (mainly lithological) character of Australia's coastal regions. We have examined and identified the specimens, preserved in the Natural History Museum, London, in terms of modern concepts, indicating their stratigraphic affinities. Fitton realized the limitations of his work and, wishing to encourage better knowledge, appended 'Instructions for collecting geological specimens', stressing the need to understand not only the materials, but the order of formation. Fitton was indicating that a sense of stratigraphy was essential to the progress of geology. Despite its deficiencies, Fitton's paper was an important step towards understanding the geology of an almost unknown continent.