William Smith (geologist) - Legacy

Legacy

• The first geological map of Britain, much copied in his time, and the basis for all others.
• Geological Surveys around the world owe a debt to his work.
• His nephew John Phillips lived during his youth with William Smith and was his apprentice. John Phillips became a major figure in 19th century geology and paleontology—among other things he's credited as first to specify most of the table of geologic eras that is used today (1841).
• A crater on Mars is named after him. (see List of craters on Mars: O-Z#S)
• The Geological Society of London presents an annual lecture in his honour.
• In 2005, a William Smith 'facsimile' was created at the Natural History Museum as a notable gallery character to patrol its displays, among other luminaries such as Carl Linnaeus, Mary Anning, and Dorothea Bate.