FOUNDATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY ERWIN RAISZ TO GEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING

Maps made by geomorphologist and cartographer, Erwin Raisz, continue to be used in the geosciences. We assess the impact of Raisz (pronounced Ra-eese) in geology and geography, who offered the first course in cartography in the United States university system at Columbia University. We examine the early work of Raisz and document his contribution to the geo disciplines with his appointment at Harvard during the 1930s and 1940s, such as the development of the first academic text in cartography. After his time at Harvard, Raisz continued to expand cartographical boundaries and is silently famous for his contribution to large wall maps used in schools during the second-half of the 20 Century. Credited with thousands of maps, his techniques still find favor with modern cartographers, thus posthumously impacting geo-learning.