The birth of petroleum geosciences in Italy

This paper investigates the achievements of petroleum geosciences that developed in Italy between the mid-19th and early 20th century, paving the way for the birth of the national oil industry and the establishment of a common cultural and technical milieu that attracted to Italy a number of investments and entrepreneurs. The oilfield sector benefited from the contribution not only of academic studies, but also by the input of outstanding geologists and engineers from the Corps of Mines and, last but not least, from the expertise of many field operators. In an attempt to examine the scientific debate of the time, herein are highlighted the crucial issues of interest with regard to petroleum geosciences and the related tectonic studies.