IMPI Roderick Murchison (Murchison Roderick Impey)

(1792-1871)
Born in Tarradeyle (Scotland), February 19, 1792. He studied at the Latin grammar school in Durham and a military college, Great Marlow. In 1807 was promoted to lieutenant. In 1808 participated in a military campaign Wellesley in Galicia. Later, with the troops of General John Moore's retreat to La Coruц?a. After the battle of Waterloo was discharged from the army and in 1818 settled in England
. Participated in the activities of the Geological Society of London, . in 1825 read a paper Geological sketch of the north-western edge of Sussex County and adjacent parts of Hampshire and Surrey (Geological Sketch of the Northwestern Extremity of Sussex and the Adjoining Parts of Hants and Surrey),
. From 1826 - Member of the Geological Society. He accompanied Charles Lyell in his survey of southern France, northern Italy, Austria and Switzerland. Being engaged in a systematic study of fossils in Paleozoic rocks of England and Wales in 1835 identified an independent period, which is called the Silurian. In 1839, based on research in the south-west England and the Rhineland of Germany, together with A. Sedgwick highlighted Devonian period of the Paleozoic era (between the Silurian and Carboniferous). In 1841 the results of work in Russia Murchison substantiated selection of another period of the Palaeozoic - Permian. In 1844, comparing the data of own studies of the geological structure of the Urals and information about the geological formations of Australia, predicted the possibility of discovering new deposits of gold on this continent.

In 1855, Murchison was appointed Director General of Geological Survey and the Director of the Royal School of Mining. He was one of the founders of the Royal Geographical Society (1830), several times elected its president. Created the Department of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Edinburgh. Author of numerous scientific articles and several books.

Geological Society established a fund and the Murchison Medal, awarded annually for outstanding work in the field of geology. Murchison named in honor of an extinct genus of gastropods Murchisonia, widely distributed in the Devonian and Carboniferous sediments and the Murchison mineral (a variety of orthoclase).

Murchison died in London on October 22, 1871.