A type of precision compass used in surveying and geology, named after its inventor David W. Brunton.
Named after David White Brunton (1849-1927), an American mining engineer who invented this specialized compass in 1894 for use in mines and geological fieldwork. The name became synonymous with the instrument itself.
The Brunton compass revolutionized geological fieldwork by combining a compass, clinometer, and level in one pocket-sized instrument, making it possible for a single geologist to accurately map terrain that previously required a full survey team. It's still the gold standard for field geology over a century later.
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