Christian Leopold von Buch (born April 26,1774.,died March 4,1853) was a German geologist and paleontologist. He defined the the Jurassic system and made important observations on stratigraphy and volcanism. He was one of the most importatnt geologists in its hey-day of the early 19th century. In the third edition of On the Origin of Species published in 1861,Charles Darwin noted: "The celebrated geologist and naturalist,Von Buch,in his excellent 'Description physique des Isles Canaries' (1836,p. 147),clearly expresses his belief that varieties slowly become changed into permanent species,which are no longer capable of intercrossing." Evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr suggest Buch was the first to suggest geographic speciation in 1825 |