John Phillips (geologist)

John Phillips was an English geologist who lived from 1800 to 1874. He made important contributions to the study of Earth’s history. In 1841, he created the first global geologic time scale. This helped scientists organize and understand the different periods of Earth’s past.

Phillips used fossils found in layers of rock to compare and match these layers from different places. This work led to the creation of a common way to talk about Earth’s timeline. He also invented the term Mesozoic to describe one of these important periods. His ideas helped other scientists and changed how we study the Earth today.

Life and work

John Phillips was born in Marden in Wiltshire. After his parents passed away, he was raised by his uncle, William Smith, a well-known geologist. Phillips helped his uncle with his research and also learned about printing from stone.

Phillips later moved to York, where he worked at the Yorkshire Museum and gave talks about rocks and fossils. He also helped start the British Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1841, Phillips created the first global timeline for Earth's history, organizing rocks by the fossils found in them. He introduced the term Mesozoic to describe a period of time. Phillips also taught geology at several universities and helped build museums.

Selected writings

John Phillips wrote many important books and articles about rocks and fossils. His first paper was called On the Direction of the Diluvial Currents in Yorkshire in 1827. He wrote for science magazines like the Philosophical Magazine, the Journal of the Geological Society, and the Geological Magazine.

Some of his famous books include:

• Illustrations of the Geology of Yorkshire (published in parts between 1829 and 1836)
• A Treatise on Geology (1837–1839)
• Memoirs of William Smith (1844)
• The Rivers, Mountains and Sea-Coast of Yorkshire (1853)
• Manual of Geology, Practical and Theoretical
• Life on the Earth: its Origin and Succession (1860)
• Vesuvius (1869)
• Geology of Oxford and the Valley of the Thames (1871)

He also wrote about fossils in a book called Monograph of British Belemnitidae in 1865 and made a map of the British Isles in 1847. In 2016, his old notes about experiments with printing were shared with the world.

Eponymy

The Carboniferous trilobite genus Phillipsia Portlock, 1843 was named to honor John Phillips.

Craters on Mars and the Moon are also named after him.

Blue plaque

In February 2016, a special sign was put up to honor John Phillips. It is on the side of St. Mary's Lodge in York Museum Gardens, where Phillips lived in the 1800s. The sign was put there by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, York Civic Trust, and York Museums Trust. It says: "John Phillips FRS, 1800–1874, Geologist. Yorkshire Philosophical Society Officer and first Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum lived here between 1839 and 1853."