Geologic Strata This hand-colored engraving of the geological structure of Europe was the culmination of French geologist Alexandre Brongniart’s career traveling across the continent to study cliff faces, outcroppings, wells, and mines. It was drawn in a new style that used vertical exaggeration, free-hand lines and dense layering of information and texture to show newly-discovered geological understanding about the hidden structure of the earth. CHSI Inv. Number 1998-1-1442 1829 Alexandre Brongniart