MURCHISON. Sir RODERICK IMPEY (1792 18711. A British geologist, born in Tarradale, Ross. After studying at the military college of Marlow, lie entered the army and served as an officer in the Peninsular War under Wellington. Through the advice of Sir Humphry Davy he was induced to take lip the study of science, and in 1823 became a fellow of the Geological Society of London, before which he read a paper titled Sketch of the Northwestern Extremity of Sussex and the Adjoining Parts of Hants and Returning from a geological through France, which he made in the coin• patty of Sir Charles Lyell, he undertook a tematic exploration and study of the lower siliferous strata of England and Wales. This work engaged his attention for many years and resulted in a reclassification of the Paleozoic rocks, with the introduction of a new system to which, in 1835, he gave the name Silurian. He was soon after employed by Emperor Nicholas in a geological survey of Russia, being associated with De Verneuil and Keyserling: during the years 1840-44 he explored a large part of South ern Russia and introduced a second the the geological time scale.
From his knowledge of the geological structure of the Ural Mountains and the Australian sys IVnIs, he was led to believe that gold in the latter, and as early as 1811 predicted its discovery. Mrrelisen was elected president of the British .\ssociation for the .M1vaneement of Seienee in 1846, president of the Royal (leo graphical Society in 1845. and 1857. and in 1855, upon the death of Sir 11. T. De la Beebe, became director of the British Geological Survey. lie was knighted in 1846, made Knight Com mander of the Bath in 18.53, and a baronet in 1863. From the Emperor of Russia lie received the grand cross of Saint Anna and that of Saint Stanislas. The greater portion of his con tributions to science were published in the so ciety journals. Among his principal works are: Geology of Cheltenham (1834) ; The Silurian System (1839) ; On the Geological Structure of the Northern and Central Rtgioi Is of Russia in Europe (1841) ; and Geology of Russia in Europe and the Cral Mountains (1845). Consult Geikie, Life of Sir Roderick 1, Murchison (London, 1875).