William smith theory
William smith biology...
William Smith
From The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences by Frank Dawson Adams
When William Smith was born in 1769, people still puzzled over exactly what fossils were.
William smith cause of death
By the time he died, scientists not only knew what fossils were, but — thanks to his efforts — knew how to use them to discern when the rocks beneath their feet had been deposited.
Smith was, at various times, a yeoman, a land surveyor, a mineral surveyor and civil engineer.
He had humble origins that limited his opportunities for much of his life. After his father died, he went to live on his uncle's farm where he became fascinated by fossil sea urchins used as pound weights for butter scales, and by the diminutive brachiopods he and his friends used as marbles.
The charm fossils held for Smith might have ended there, but when he came of age, England was busily digging for coal, and digging canals to transport it. These activities revealed rock layers that would otherwise be hidd