John Phillips (geologist)

John Phillips
Portrait of John Phillips, c. 1866
Born(1800-12-25)25 December 1800
Marden, Wiltshire, England
Died24 April 1874(1874-04-24) (aged 73)
Known forpublishing the first global geologic time scale based on the correlation of fossils in rock strata.
AwardsFRS (1834)
Scientific career
FieldsGeology
InstitutionsAshmolean Museum Yorkshire Museum

John Phillips FRS (25 December 1800 – 24 April 1874) was an English geologist.[1] In 1841 he published the first global geologic time scale based on the correlation of fossils in rock strata, thereby helping to standardize terminology including the term Mesozoic, which he invented.

  1. ^ "Phillips, John (1800-1874)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.