March 24

Science Giants: Georgius Agricola

On this day in 1494, Georgius Agricola was born in Glauchau, Germany. He is famous for his book De re metallica (About Minerals), in which he describes mining, surveying and geology. Agricola was the first to understand that rocks are deposited in layers on the Earth, and that earthquakes and volcanos are caused by heat and gases below the Earth's surface.