IGA Lecture – 27th September 2017 – Geology and Genealogy – The Odd Couple by Dr. Patrick Roycroft (Elements geological magazine)

Patrick will illustrate how college students and amateur geologists, among others, can
research geological history by applying genealogy techniques to solve etymological problems in
fossil, mineral, and mineral collection names. The talk will use five Irish case studies: the
etymological hunt for the Ichthyorachis newenhami fossil; revealing the Miss Cotter behind the
mineral variety ‘cotterite’; discovering the ‘finger-lickin’ background to Julius Hanna (of the
Hanna mineral collection in the National Museums of Northern Ireland); discovering the real
birthplace and background of the dedicatee behind the mineral ‘chenevixite’; and demonstrating
the invaluable contribution made by genealogists in documenting the huge UCD Mineral
Collection.

When and where: The lecture theatre in the Geological Survey of Ireland, Beggars Bush,
Dublin 4 on Wednesday, September 27th, between 6:30 and 7:30 pm. Coffee and biscuits will
available from 5:30 pm. All welcome.