geological chart: État du Globe a ses Différens Ages
Date: 1830-1862
Inventory Number: 1998-1-1445
Classification: Chart
Dimensions:0.1 x 61 x 53 cm (1/16 x 24 x 20 7/8 in.)
in envelope: 0.1 x 71 x 91.5 cm (1/16 x 27 15/16 x 36 in.)
DescriptionThis is a large, geological, pedagogical chart designed for classroom usage by the Établissement Géographique de Bruxelles, 1830-1880. It was based on the courses taught by Nérée Boubée, a prominent geologist and natural historian at the University of Paris. It summarizes the content of the lectures in his classes (subject of his exams) and clarifies them with entertaining illustrations.
The chart is divided into 3 parts. From the top to the bottom, the first part of the chart asks big geological questions suitable for beginners in an introductory classroom setting, such as when and how the world was created and what has happened on Earth from its creation up until today. These questions are conveniently answered for the student in boxes below, which contains a small watercolor illustration rendered with bright purple, orange, and yellow colors that either represents planetary satellites or comets.
The second part of this chart asks about the 4 main epochs of this planet's formation and also answers these questions in the boxes below.
The third part of this chart is visual, and it begins with a watercolor diagram of the Earth's atmosphere, which is represented by a single black line with a cloudy, sky-blue color painted underneath and accompnied by a textual explanation. Next, there is a map legend with color codes that represent various strata of the Earth, followed by a diagram of the strata themselves. this diagram has three layers with bits of green, grassy landscape at the top and small threads of bright red lava welling up to the surface from the deepest layer of the Earth at various intervals. A small volcano erupts at the far, right-hand side. Each layer is labeled and has between 1 to 4 asterixes next to each label. These asterixes correspond to asterixes below, which serve as footnotes and contain more information about each layer.