| Edinburgh
Geological Society |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
by D. C. Greig The Scottish Headquarters of the Institute of Geological Sciences are now established at Murchison House, at the northwestern corner of the King's Buildings complex of the University of Edinburgh, some 300 yards west of the Grant Istitute of Geology. The large five floor building was designed to bring together staff from several offices in Edinburgh and from Herstmonceux in Sussex. These staff comprise the Scottish Field Survey and Continental Shelf Units, and the Marine Geophysics, Global Seismology and Geomagnetism units. Sections of the Palaeontological and Petrographical departments and of the Mineral Assessment and Computer units are also accommodated. It will be seen that a very wide range of geological work is performed by the staff of Murchison House, including the entire government research effort for Great Britain in marine geophysics, global seismology and geomagnetism. The Institute is a constituent body of the Natural Environment Research Council, funded by the Department of Education and Science and, increasingly, by certain other government departments on a customer-contractor basis, the Institute being paid for research carried out at the behest of these departments. It is the official national geological agency, incorporating the Geological Survey of Great Britain, founded in 1835, the Museum of Practical Geology in South Kensington, and the Overseas Geological Surveys. The Geological Survey began working in Scotland in 1854 and was set up on a permanent basis, with the opening of its first office in Edinburgh, in 1867. The Director-General at that time was Sir Roderick Murchison, a most eminent figure in the world of geology and of geographical exploration, and it is appropriate that the first headquarters built for the Geological Survey in Scotland should bear his name. Sir Roderick was also responsible for the establishment in 1871 of a Chair in Geology in the University of Edinburgh, the first in Scotland. Murchison House will be officially opened on 14th
June 1977 by Professor Sir Frederick Stewart,
Chairman of the Advoisory Board for Research Councils, and present incumbent
of the Regius Chair at Edinburgh. In association with this occasion the
building will be opened to vistors on the two succeeding days, when the
work of all the resident units will be displayed and demonstrated. Fellows
of the Edinburgh Geological Society may attend on these days, under the
arrangements to be published later, or they may wish to take advantage
of the 'private viewing' which is being organised for the evening of Wednesday
15th June. Details of this visit will be made known in the excursion circular
which will be distributed within the next few weeks. It will be an excellent
opportunity, which is unlikely to be repeated for several years, to see
the building and the extensive range of geological work performed in Scotland
by the Institute, by far the largest organisation in the country for geological
research and its application.
author: David C. Greig, Institute of Geological Sciences, Murchison House, Edinburgh |