7
Bergman’s Geological Work
Aged 30, Bergman found a new interest in geology and the development of the
Earth. Bergman’s role as a geologist was first examined in 1900 by John Lindquist
in his Ph.D. thesis [1] and later by Hedberg [2] and Frängsmyr [3]. The subject is
also discussed in a chapter in Schufle’s Bergman biography [4]. Bergman’s main
contribution to the field of geology is the 1766 book Physisk beskrifning öfver jordklotet (Physical Description of the Earth; Sect. 7.2) but also includes a paper
published in 1768 on the mountains of Västergötland [5] and an essay on geysers
and volcanoes on Iceland (Sect. 7.3).
Early thinkers within the field of geology included da Vinci, who, for example,
recognised that fossilised seashells found on land proved that these areas had once
been covered with water [6], and Robert Hooke who suggested that some fossils
corresponded to extinct life forms. Many of the ideas put forward by Bergman in
his work had been formulated in 1669 by Danish scientist Nicolaus Steno (Niels
Steensen; 1638–1686) [7]. Steno stated that (1) rocks had been deposited in water,
(2) rocks had originally been deposited in horizontal layers, (3) the order of these
layers indicated their relative age, (4) fossils are remains of buried life forms, (5) the
nature of the fossils reveals whether they lived in fresh or salt water, (6) older rocks
contain no fossils and (7) thought layers of rock were originally deposited horizontally, they have latter occasionally been tilted by the Earth’s movements [8].
Oddly enough, Bergman never referred to Steno. Whether Bergman was aware of
Stenos work is not known, [9] but it appears likely when considering Bergman’s
extensive knowledge.
Geology emerged as a more mature science in eighteenth century, but it was
sensitive subject, as it could possibly contradict the Bible. The more conservative
minds still held that Earth was created in six days about 6,000 years ago and that all
substantial change had been caused by the Deluge. Two rivalling theories eventually emerged: plutonism, which taught that rocks were formed by fire or volcanic
activity and neptunism which taught that rocks had formed by sedimentation from
water. Neptunism is said to have been founded by German geologist Abraham
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Lennartson, Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Torbern Bergman, Perspectives on the
History of Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49194-9_7
83
Bergman’s Geological Work
Aged 30, Bergman found a new interest in geology and the development of the
Earth. Bergman’s role as a geologist was first examined in 1900 by John Lindquist
in his Ph.D. thesis [1] and later by Hedberg [2] and Frängsmyr [3]. The subject is
also discussed in a chapter in Schufle’s Bergman biography [4]. Bergman’s main
contribution to the field of geology is the 1766 book Physisk beskrifning öfver jordklotet (Physical Description of the Earth; Sect. 7.2) but also includes a paper
published in 1768 on the mountains of Västergötland [5] and an essay on geysers
and volcanoes on Iceland (Sect. 7.3).
Early thinkers within the field of geology included da Vinci, who, for example,
recognised that fossilised seashells found on land proved that these areas had once
been covered with water [6], and Robert Hooke who suggested that some fossils
corresponded to extinct life forms. Many of the ideas put forward by Bergman in
his work had been formulated in 1669 by Danish scientist Nicolaus Steno (Niels
Steensen; 1638–1686) [7]. Steno stated that (1) rocks had been deposited in water,
(2) rocks had originally been deposited in horizontal layers, (3) the order of these
layers indicated their relative age, (4) fossils are remains of buried life forms, (5) the
nature of the fossils reveals whether they lived in fresh or salt water, (6) older rocks
contain no fossils and (7) thought layers of rock were originally deposited horizontally, they have latter occasionally been tilted by the Earth’s movements [8].
Oddly enough, Bergman never referred to Steno. Whether Bergman was aware of
Stenos work is not known, [9] but it appears likely when considering Bergman’s
extensive knowledge.
Geology emerged as a more mature science in eighteenth century, but it was
sensitive subject, as it could possibly contradict the Bible. The more conservative
minds still held that Earth was created in six days about 6,000 years ago and that all
substantial change had been caused by the Deluge. Two rivalling theories eventually emerged: plutonism, which taught that rocks were formed by fire or volcanic
activity and neptunism which taught that rocks had formed by sedimentation from
water. Neptunism is said to have been founded by German geologist Abraham
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Lennartson, Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Torbern Bergman, Perspectives on the
History of Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49194-9_7
83