“The Earth Calculus”: Babbage, tables, and the calculating machine in the study of geology

Charles Babbage is best known as a pioneer of computer science, but his contributions to the study of the Earth are not as well known. A curious and tireless traveler, on one of his trips to Italy, he dwelt on the remains of the Temple of Serapis, located about one-hundred feet from the coast of the small bay near Pozzuoli, south-west of Naples. On his return to England, also using his Difference Engine, he developed a theory to explain the phenomena related to the area of Serapeo, accompanied by illustrations and mathematical calculations, aimed at explaining the geological phenomena that had helped to make the site so interesting. With the same precision used for his calculation engine, Babbage proposed innovative techniques for the printing of diagrams and tables to be used in earth sciences. Just as his calculation engine had to be reliable by helping to eliminate human error, so the innovative techniques proposed had to allow a representation of geology as a reliable scientific experience.