most important geological essay, written after the …

Years: 1760 - 1760
most important geological essay, written after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, was entitled "Conjectures concerning the Cause and Observations upon the Phaenomena of Earthquakes" (Philosophical Transactions, li. 1760).

In this paper he introduces the idea that earthquakes spread out as waves through the Earth and that they involve the offsets in geological strata now known as faults.

He is able to estimate both the epicenter and the focus of the Lisbon earthquake, and may also have been the first to suggest that a tsunami is caused by a submarine earthquake.

Michell’s essay not only provides insights on earthquakes but also, more broadly, represents an advance in the understanding of the geology of the Earth’s crust.

He recognizes that the Earth is composed "of regular and uniform strata", some of which have been interrupted by upheavals.

Exhibiting a remarkable knowledge of the geological strata in various parts of England and abroad, he draws on his own observations to advance the understanding of sedimentary stratigraphy and is the first to define the Mesozoic stratigraphy in the U.K.

In 1760, as a result of this work, he was elected a member of the Royal Society.

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