THE EVOLUTION OF THE WORD ÆOLIAN AS USED IN A GEOLOGICAL CONTEXT

The introduction of the word Æolian into geological literature occurred in 1853 when Richard J. Nelson published a paper in the ninth volume of the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London titled “On the geology of the Bahamas, and on coral formations generally.” Prior to this introduction most scientists used terms such as “wind-borne,” “aërial,” “subaërial,” or “meteoric.” The terms “blowing” or “drifting” were also used to describe the transport of sediments by wind and deposits were often referred to as “wind-drift,” “wind-blown,” or simply “wind” deposits. The word Æolian provided a more compact term with a more precise definition and it was not long before other geoscientists began to follow Nelson's lead. Since the ligature “Æ” is not in the English alphabet, some publications began to simplify the spelling to either “Eolian” or “Aeolian.” Thus began a battle over spelling preference as editors and scientists began to favor one form over the other. A recent analysis of the literature has revealed some interesting trends with regard to spelling choice.