Unpublished paper, 'Observations on the probable formation of mineral coal, and on the position and accompanying circumstances of fossil trees' in a letter from Willm [William] Chapman to Sir Joseph Banks
Reference number: AP/8/5
Date: 01 October 1815
Description
Chapman describes fossilised trees found in Kenton Colliery near Newcastle [Northumberland, England] and their possible way of formation. He then discusses the formation of coal, writing that it originates from peat moss that has been compressed underground and subsequently converted into coal. Includes one illustration on a separate page.
Subject: Mineralogy / Geology
Written by Chapman in Newcastle.
- Reference number
- AP/8/5
- Earliest possible date
- 01 October 1815
- Physical description
- Ink on paper
- Page extent
- 17 pages
- Format
- Manuscript
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Citation
Unpublished paper, 'Observations on the probable formation of mineral coal, and on the position and accompanying circumstances of fossil trees' in a letter from Willm [William] Chapman to Sir Joseph Banks, 01 October 1815, AP/8/5, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_8_5/unpublished-paper-observations-on-the-probable-formation-of-mineral-coal-and-on-the-position-and-accompanying-circumstances-of-fossil-trees-in-a-letter-from-willm-william-chapman-to-sir-joseph-banks, accessed on 24 January 2026
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Joseph Banks
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Archived Papers
The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.
Dates: 1768 - 1989
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