Publisher © Czech Geological Survey, ISSN: 2336-5757 (online), 0514-8057 (print)
Geological mapping in Central Europe in the 18th and early 19th centuries
Abstract
During the international project "Visegrád Fund" 58 early geological maps were analysed and classified according to a compulsory framework, including e.g. author's name, map scale, editor, year of edition, map area, importance for stratigraphy, tectonics, lithology, cartographic information, current map storage information and author's biography. The region of interest covered the Bohemian Massif, the Eastern Alps, the Western Carpathians and Polish Holy Cross Mountains. All maps made before 1820 are covered by this project together with "milestone" maps edited between 1820 and 1840. Research team consists of members of the Visegrad countries (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary), participants from the Austria, Bavaria and Saxony were invited as partners. The national teams mostly analysed maps from their own countries, some maps, however, covered a territory of more than one country. In these cases it was very effective to cooperate on an international level. The analysis of the early geological maps of the Central Europe enables future comparison with the development of geological cartography in Western Europe, mainly in France and Great Britain. The current project outcomes suggest that during respective time interval Central European geoscience was able to keep pace with its western counterparts.
