EDUCATOR’S PAGE Storytelling is Fundamental to Geology Michael J. Urban, MEM-1910
Stories are important in geology. Rocks tell the geologist a story about the Earth, but geologists also tell stories. These stories are descriptive, interpretive, sometimes speculative, and always narrative. The stories are chronicled in published journals and professional presentations, and shared at times less formally in classroom lectures. While geologists often concern themselves with the ongoing and evolving story of our planet, there are other no less important stories to be told: the stories of the men and women who accomplish the grand feats in geology. After all, science is a human endeavor, inescapably connected to context (as serendipity elegantly reminds us).
I recently read the novel Dragon Teeth (written by Michael Crichton, published posthumously), a fictional story promi- nently featuring the widely known and infamous feud between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope – two of the earliest professional paleontologists in the United States (circa 1860). This story inspired me to re-familiarize myself with the accomplishments of each man and their well-publicized struggle for professional supremacy in the annals of early American vertebrate paleontology. The story also reminded me of the important role that the doers of science have in the accumulation and refinement of our collective knowledge about geology. Without them, we would have nothing. Therefore, it occurs to me that I should renew my efforts to incorporate and integrate the who back with the what in my own teaching practices (through storytelling).
Students are often quick to dismiss the rich and deep history associated with the genesis of American geology, and too many may emerge from school woefully lacking in understanding and appreciation for the setting of the evolution of the discipline. This is avoidable, however, and we should ardently strive to prevent it. Telling the stories of the people involved in the great accomplishments in science, and even daring to cast them in the light of their human failings, helps us to realize the true challenge of scientific investigation, reinforcing the idea that we can and do accomplish much despite our personal flaws. The greatest geology professors I have known all had a flare for storytelling. Many of them regale students with anecdotes and details surrounding the locations and circumstances of their field trips and sample collecting excursions. Indeed, I still remember fondly some of the stories Dr. Richard Ojakangas shared with those of us in his geology classes at the University of Minnesota Duluth, decades ago. Thank you for inspiring so many of us with your stories, Richard! Integrating people, places and events into our descriptions of geology is an easy next step.
Geology as a discipline is ripe with facts and details, but so too are many of the human adventures accompanying major (and minor) finds in our quest for a greater understanding of nature. We can and should familiarize (or re-familiarize) ourselves with some of the truly remarkable (e.g., vindication of Wegener’s general ideas about continents) and notorious
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(e.g., Cope’s and Marsh’s “bone wars”) historical activities. Professional geologists too can benefit from occasionally brush- ing up on the history of the discipline. Do you recognize the following names: John Wesley Powell (of course you do, but I had to start you off with an easy one), James Hall, and Florence Bascom? [Admittedly, I struggled with the latter two myself.] While not everyone needs to have an intimate knowledge of the history of American geology, most professionals in the field would probably benefit from knowing a bit more.
Getting back to Marsh and Cope, for a moment, legend has it that the falling out between them centered around Cope’s error in placement of a skull on the wrong end of the skeleton of a plesiosaur (Elasmosaurus), which Marsh, as the story goes, took deliberate and great delight in pointing out (UCMP, n.d). Whether this accurately reflects the origin of the dispute, or not, is less important than the overall escalation through publication that eventually transpired. And, whosoever tossed the first stone is probably irrelevant at this point, but clearly, the competitive nature and the pace of their escapades rapidly advanced the study of paleontology at the time (unfortunately, though, replete with errors). Cope was evidently hasty in his analyses and writing tendencies, making numerous blunders as he penned some 1400 publications over the span of his pro- lific career (Hellman, 2007). Marsh made his share of mistakes too: the incomplete skeleton of a large dinosaur missing a skull he named the Brontosaurus, which was eventually shown to actually be an Apatosaurus. [Now, try as we may, the name Brontosaurus persists incorrectly.]
This is just the kind of story that might pique the interest of almost anybody. Intrigue, the Wild West, Hatfields and McCoys-like feuding, and that ever so important element of humor (recall Mosasaurus copeanus); what’s not to enjoy? No wonder Crichton chose these characters for his story! Although not every aspect of American geology is as entertaining, much of it can be framed in a similarly stimulating way, I think. Powell’s adventures along the Colorado River and at the Grand Canyon in Arizona (USGS, 2006); United States Geological Survey’s 2nd Director Hall’s egotistical tirades (National Academy of Sciences, 2005); and the challenges faced by Bascom as she became the first professional female geologist to work at the USGS (National Park Service, 2016).
Professional rivalry can and does occur, and in the finest of instances, prompts us to achieve our very best. But, this is not the subject of the article at hand; instead, we may use the story of Cope and Marsh as a springboard for considering the human narrative intertwined throughout the crucial stages of the expansion of our geological understanding. Storytelling has a definite place in geology!
Featured Resource
In honor of Cope’s and Marsh’s use of published scientific names to raz one another (such as the previously mentioned
www.aipg.org
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