MILNE, J. and T. GRAY. - MAPPING THE SHAKING EARTH - THE INVENTION OF THE SEISMOGRAPH

On Seismic Experiments. Communicated by A.C. Ramsay. Received November 5, - Read December 8, 1881.

(London, Harrison and Sons, 1883). 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" Year 1882, Volume 173 - 1883. - Pp. 863-883 and 1 plate. Margin of plate with small tears.Otherwise clean and fine.

First appearance of the first paper describing the invention of the seismograph to record earthquakes.
"Milne studied at the Royal School of Mines and became mining engineer. He joined an Expedition to Arabia as a geologist. His real chance came in 1875, however, when he accepted an appointment as a professor of geology and mining in the Imperial College of Engineering at Tokyo. He remained in Japan for twenty years and there had a marvelous opportunity to study earthquakes, for no land is more riven with them than Japan. In 1880 he invented the seismograph...and established a chain of seismographs in Japan and elsewhere, marking the beginning of modern seismology."(Asimow).
The paper describes 8 sets of experiments set up at different stations in Japan.
On Milne's initiative the Seismological Society of Japan was founded, and the emperor of Japan conferred upon him the Order of the Rising Sun.

Order-nr.: 42216