234
Panebianco (1848–1930), professor of mineralogy at Padua University
(Pantaloni 2014).
Finally, the lesson ends with another prophetic intuition: in the future, Secchi
predicts, the human race will unravel the internal structure of the Earth by studying
earthquakes. He predicted a new discipline, seismology, which he was perfectly
aware was entering into a new phase in those years (“dallo studio dei terremoti,
entrato in questi tempi in una nuova fase”). Undeniably, Secchi and other seismologists of his time deserve great credit for this development, as discussed below.
14.2.4 Time and Space: Basic Principles of Stratigraphy
The other lessons (from VI to XIII) give an introduction to the principles of stratigraphy, and a description of the geological ages, from the Azoic and the Protozoic to
the Anthropic epoch, focusing on story of life on Earth. Even though he often cites
Charles Lyell (1797–1875)’s works, Secchi refuses to accept any atheistic implications of evolutionary theories and considers the extinction of species and appearance of new life forms as a sort of guided evolutionism (Chinnici 2019: 304), with
each consecutive stage directed by God in a divine project displaying the overall
order of the universe.
In Lesson VII Secchi discusses the origin of granites, reviewing Stoppani’s
explanation of the lithogenic cycle, derived from von Buch’s theories.
In this part of the book, Secchi shows his extraordinary ability to pass quickly
from the immensity of the universe to the continuous transformation of our little
planet, through the abyss of “deep time” that geology – side by side with astronomy – was introducing into scientific knowledge (Rudwick 2014).
14.3 Father Secchi, Field Geologist
Lessons of Terrestrial Physics reveals the particular sensitivity of its author to geological matters and his ability to summarize issues concerning the structure and
evolution of planet Earth. In his scientific publications, one can see how Father
Secchi dealt with issues of concern in nineteenth-century geology. In this we can
recognize a specific geological competence to his versatile and multifaceted scientific activity, such that he can legitimately be included in the “Pantheon” of Italian
geoscientists.
Father Secchi’s contribution to practical geology can be seen in his reports on the
seismic sequence of 1859 in the area of Norcia, in the Umbro-Marchean Apennines
(Secchi 1859, 1860). A strong earthquake occurred there on August 22, 1859, shaking Saint Benedict’s hometown and its surroundings. After the seismic event, the
papal deputy of Spoleto and the Judicial Council of Norcia invited an engineer, an
A. Argentieri and M. Parotto
Panebianco (1848–1930), professor of mineralogy at Padua University
(Pantaloni 2014).
Finally, the lesson ends with another prophetic intuition: in the future, Secchi
predicts, the human race will unravel the internal structure of the Earth by studying
earthquakes. He predicted a new discipline, seismology, which he was perfectly
aware was entering into a new phase in those years (“dallo studio dei terremoti,
entrato in questi tempi in una nuova fase”). Undeniably, Secchi and other seismologists of his time deserve great credit for this development, as discussed below.
14.2.4 Time and Space: Basic Principles of Stratigraphy
The other lessons (from VI to XIII) give an introduction to the principles of stratigraphy, and a description of the geological ages, from the Azoic and the Protozoic to
the Anthropic epoch, focusing on story of life on Earth. Even though he often cites
Charles Lyell (1797–1875)’s works, Secchi refuses to accept any atheistic implications of evolutionary theories and considers the extinction of species and appearance of new life forms as a sort of guided evolutionism (Chinnici 2019: 304), with
each consecutive stage directed by God in a divine project displaying the overall
order of the universe.
In Lesson VII Secchi discusses the origin of granites, reviewing Stoppani’s
explanation of the lithogenic cycle, derived from von Buch’s theories.
In this part of the book, Secchi shows his extraordinary ability to pass quickly
from the immensity of the universe to the continuous transformation of our little
planet, through the abyss of “deep time” that geology – side by side with astronomy – was introducing into scientific knowledge (Rudwick 2014).
14.3 Father Secchi, Field Geologist
Lessons of Terrestrial Physics reveals the particular sensitivity of its author to geological matters and his ability to summarize issues concerning the structure and
evolution of planet Earth. In his scientific publications, one can see how Father
Secchi dealt with issues of concern in nineteenth-century geology. In this we can
recognize a specific geological competence to his versatile and multifaceted scientific activity, such that he can legitimately be included in the “Pantheon” of Italian
geoscientists.
Father Secchi’s contribution to practical geology can be seen in his reports on the
seismic sequence of 1859 in the area of Norcia, in the Umbro-Marchean Apennines
(Secchi 1859, 1860). A strong earthquake occurred there on August 22, 1859, shaking Saint Benedict’s hometown and its surroundings. After the seismic event, the
papal deputy of Spoleto and the Judicial Council of Norcia invited an engineer, an
A. Argentieri and M. Parotto