Arduino, Giovanni

Giovanni Arduino, (born Oct. 16, 1714, Caprino Veronese, Veneto, Republic of Venice [Italy]—died March 21, 1795, Venice), the father of Italian geology, who established bases for stratigraphic chronology by classifying the four main layers of the Earth’s crust as Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary.

From an early age, Arduino showed an interest in mining, establishing a reputation throughout northern Italy as a mining expert, and in 1769 the Republic of Venice named him director of agriculture and industry. With occasional help from his brother Pietro (1728–1805), a botanist at the University of Padua, Arduino supervised such enterprises as land reclamation, livestock raising, and the construction of improved agricultural equipment. He also did research in mining, metallurgy, and chemistry for the republic.

In the early 1760s Arduino identified four distinct major geologic strata composed of numerous fossil-filled minor strata. He also recognized the significance of the fossil layers, pioneered the use of fossils and chemical methods to determine the age of rock formations, and observed that marble is produced by the metamorphism of limestone.