Nomenclature of Eruptive Rocks

Abstract

THE reviewer of my book “Eruptive Rocks ” (NATURE, Dec. 17, 1927) says that I have not accomplished my expressed purpose of cleaning up “the jungle of rock names.” The wisdom of my procedure is open to question, but the facts can be ascertained by simple enumeration. Prof. Arthur Holmes collected about 470 names of eruptive rocks in his “Nomenclature of Petrology,” and the total number in use at the present time is certainly not less than 500. Of these I have used only 56 in my system, a reduction of about 88 per cent. This seems to me to be a fairly thorough ‘cleaning-up,’ and I wonder what more the reviewer wants? Of course, I use some qualifying terms in conjunction with these names, but so does every petrologist, no matter what system he follows.