Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate

Nathaniel Southgate Shaler, (born Feb. 20, 1841, Newport, Ky., U.S.—died April 10, 1906, Cambridge, Mass.), geologist known for his studies of crustal tectonics (structure) and Earth history. He was a professor of paleontology at Harvard University (1868–87) and director of the Kentucky Geological Survey (1873–80). Beginning in 1884, he was also geologist in charge of the Atlantic division of the U.S. Geological Survey. He wrote The Story of Our Continent, Interpretation of Nature (1893); Illustrations of the Earth’s Surface; and Features of Coasts and Oceans.