Cardiff, Wales — Today Caroline Buttler and I met in the National Museum Wales and worked on an Ordovician bryozoan project together. There was nothing very picturesque going on until Caroline asked if I wanted to see their original William Smith 1815 geological map of England and Wales. The map that changed the world? Of course! There is part of it carefully unfolded above.
I professionally intersected with The Map on its 200th anniversary in 2015. I participated in a celebratory symposium at the annual Geological Society of America meeting, giving a talk entitled: “William Smith as a paleontologist: his views on the origin of fossils, their preservation and the history of life.” (Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 47(7): 24.) It was fun and I’ve closely followed studies of Smith and his map since then. This was thus a treat! Thanks, Caroline.
