Department of Geography and Geology, University of the West Indies




	Department of Geography & Geology

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History of the dept Location and Buildings Facilities

About Us
Location The Department of Geography and Geology is located on the ring road of Mona Campus in the De la Beche Building. The Department has an obelisk erected on the lawn outside the De la Beche Building, and also occupies most of an adjacent building, commonly referred to as the New Building.
		The De la Beche Building is named after Sir Henry de la Beche who was born in 1796, the son of Colonel Thomas de la Beche, owner of the Halse Hall property in Clarendon, Jamaica. Henry stayed for a brief time in Jamaica as a boy, but was later educated in Britain. In Britain, Henry became interested in the young science of geology and began to make a name for himself in this field. In 1823 he returned to his ancestral home at Halse Hall, staying for one year.
During this time he carried out a geological survey of the eastern half of the island. The resulting map and report were published by the Geological Society of London in 1827. This map was one of the first geological maps, not only of a West Indian region but of any area in the During this time he carried out a geological survey of the eastern half of the island. The resulting map and report were published by the Geological Society of London in 1827. This map was one of the first geological maps, not only of a West Indian region but of any area in the Western Hemisphere, to be produced. Henry became the founder and first Director of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. This Survey was the first Government geological organization anywhere in the world, and Henry was knighted by Queen Victoria in recognition of his geological achievements.
	The obelisk, which stands on the lawn in front of the De la Beche Building, was erected in January 1984 and represents a birthday gift to the then Geology Department from the Geological Society of Jamaica to commemorate 21 years of teaching at the University of the West Indies from 1961 to 1982. The idea of an obelisk was conceived by Parris Lyew-Ayee, a past President of the Geological Society of Jamaica, in February of 1982. It was designed by Dr. Trevor Jackson, the then Head of the Geology Department, and the rocks that comprise the obelisk were collected by several graduates of the Department among them Conliffe Wilmot-Simpson, Locksley Allen (class of `79), Samuel Brookes (class of `75) and Godfrey Perkins (class `70). It was unveiled in February 1984 at the GSJ's Annual General Meeting by Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Gerald Lalor and Miss Cathy Levy, Miss Jamaica World (1983). The obelisk represents a stratigraphic record of Jamaican geology and is composed entirely of rocks found in Jamaica. The height of the obelisk is proportional to geologic time with the base representing the age of the older dated rocks in Jamaica which are approximately 120 million years old.

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