Thomas Webster (1772-1844)

After an extensive survey of the Isle of Wight and Dorset coastlines, Webster suggested that the basins of Paris and London, and the Isle of Wight, were part of a single geological formation. This was a major contribution to understanding how different regions were structurally related. While Webster considered fossils important identifying markers for formations, his arguments on geological history were based on studies of the junctions of strata that showed evidence of movement and distortion.

T.55.21

Courtesy of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridg