Harmon Craig
Harmon Craig | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | March 14, 2003 | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Known for | Geochemistry |
Spouse | Valerie Craig (m. 1947) |
Awards | V. M. Goldschmidt Award (1979) Vetlesen Prize (1987) Harold C. Urey |
Harmon Craig (March 15, 1926 – March 14, 2003) was an American geochemist who worked briefly for the University of Chicago (1951-1955) before spending the majority of his career at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (1955-2003).[1]
Craig was involved in numerous research expeditions, which visited the
Craig made many significant discoveries in
Family and early life
Harmon Craig was born Manhattan, in New York City,[1] to John Richard Craig, Jr. (1896-1945) and his wife Virginia (Stanley) Craig.[9][10] He was named after his uncle, Harmon Bushnell Craig (1895-1917), but does not use his middle name.[1]: 5
March 15, 1926 inHarmon Craig's grandparents on his father's side were actors, directors and producers. During World War I, John Craig (1868-1931) and his wife, actress Mary Young, led the first professional American stock theater company to travel to France and entertain troops at the front. While they entertained the troops, their sons Harmon Bushnell Craig (1895-1917) and John Richard Craig, Jr. (1896-1945) served in the war effort.[11] John Craig, Jr. received a French Croix de Guerre[1]: 10 for his efforts as a second lieutenant of artillery, working with French 75s.[11] Harmon Bushnell Craig died serving with an ambulatory corps run by the
In November 1924,[13] John Craig, Jr. married Virginia Stanley of Wichita, Kansas. They had three children: Harmon (named after his uncle), John Richard III (named after his father and grandfather), and Stanley Craig.[9]
Harmon Craig's mother, Virginia Stanley, was descended from Quakers who helped found schools for freed slaves. His mother's involvement with the Quakers was a strong influence on Harmon Craig.[1]: 5
University of Chicago
Harmon Craig studied geology and chemistry at the
Craig earned his Ph.D. in 1951,[4][2] with The geochemistry of the stable carbon isotopes, a thesis on carbon isotope geochemistry.[15][16][17] Craig created his thesis to find the measurement of ancient sea temperature. Craig used the
Craig joined the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago as a research associate in 1951.[2] In 1953, Urey and Craig published results showing that
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
In 1955 Harmon Craig was recruited to
During the 1950s Craig measured variations in the concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in natural waters. In 1961, Craig identified the
In 1963, Craig received a Guggenheim Fellowship, using it to spend a year at the Istituto de Geologia Nucleare, Pisa, Italy. He described a framework for studying the isotopic composition of the hydrosphere, discussing kinetics, equilibrium, and the use of isotopes for paleoenvironmental reconstructions.[1]: 6 [24][25][26] The work he presented with Louis I. Gordon on isotopic fractionation of the phase changes in water is known as the Craig-Gordon Model.[27] The model is applied to problems in watershed and ecosystem studies such as the calculation of evaporation.[15]: 355–358 [25][28] It has been called "a corner stone of isotope geochemistry."[27]
During the Nova Expedition of 1967, Craig and colleagues W. Brian Clarke (1937–2002)[29]: 449–450 [30] and M.A. Beg from McMaster University in Canada observed the Kermadec Trench in the Pacific Ocean. They found unexpectedly high proportions of the helium-3 isotope in the ocean waters. Craig concluded that the isotope was present within the Earth's mantle and theorized that it was leaking into sea water through cracks in the sea floor.[31][21][32]
Craig and coworkers studied the isotopic composition of atmospheric and dissolved oxygen in the composition of dissolved gases, where he discovered the biochemical oxygen demand and the intake in the ocean mixed layer. Craig determined by measuring that the element, 210Pb is rapidly scavenged by sinking particulate matter.[2][33][34]
In 1970, Craig teamed up with colleagues at Scripps, Columbia University's
During the 1970s Craig examined the relationship of gases such as radon and helium to earthquake prediction, developing a monitoring network at thermal springs and wells near major fault lines in southernmost California.[36][37] In 1979, he detected an increase in radon and helium as a precursor to an earthquake near Big Bear Lake, California.[3][38][37]
In a long-term project, Harmon Craig and Valerie Craig (his wife) used carbon and oxygen isotopes to identify the sources of the marble used in ancient Greek sculptures and temples.[39][40][41]
Craig discovered submarine
Craig led 28 oceanographic expeditions and traveled to the
Craig was one of the earliest people to analyze the gases trapped in the
Awards and honors
Craig was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1979.[51] Craig won the VM Goldschmidt Medal of the Geochemical Society in 1979, the National Science Foundation's Special Creativity Award in Oceanography in 1982 and the
In 1998 he was awarded the Balzan Prize for Geochemistry, from the International Balzan Foundation of Milan, Italy.[45][46][53] The Foundation commended him as "a pioneer in earth sciences who uses the varied tools of isotope geochemistry to solve problems of fundamental scientific importance and immediate relevance in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and solid earth."[2] It was the first time that the prize had gone to a geochemist. Craig was quoted as saying "The Prize's most significant effect was to establish that Geochemistry, especially Isotope Geochemistry, which began in 1947, had come of age and is a mature science. This was much more important than the specific person chosen for the award."[42]
He received an honorary degree from the University of Paris.[1]: 10
Death
Craig died at Thornton Hospital in
Harmon's curiosity and sense of adventure knew no bounds... His drive for scientific achievement was unparalleled in my experience. The ocean and earth science world has lost a truly spirited adventurer and one of the greatest geochemists of the 20th century. – Charles Kennel, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2003[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Turekian, Karl K. (2006). "Harmon Craig, 1926-2003, a biographical memoir" (PDF). Biography of the National Academy of Sciences. National Academy of Sciences.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Aguilera, Mario (March 18, 2003). "Obituary Notice Pioneer of Geochemistry: Harmon Craig". Scripps News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Lawren, Bill (April 17, 1989). "Harmon Craig: Stalking Excellence, Leaving Controversy In His Wake". The Scientist. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9781438109190. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ .
- .
- S2CID 120862259.
- ^ "Accession No.: 2003-41 PROCESSING RECORD: Harmon Bushnell Craig Papers, 1948-2003" (PDF). SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY ARCHIVES. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ a b "John Richard Craig, Jr". Find A Grave. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "JOHN CRAIG JR., 47, A STAGE PRODUCER; Former Theatre Man Here and in Boston Dead on Coast-- Once in Insurance Field". The New York Times. December 6, 1945.
- ^ ISBN 978-0353151208. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Goldsmith, Louie. ""Serve my country to the last stitch": Honoring alumni lost in World War I". The Sagamore. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ^ "Wedding John Craig Jr and Virginia Stanley". Daily News. 7 Nov 1924. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Sturchio, Neil (1999). "A conversation with Harmon Craig" (PDF). The Geochemical News. No. January. pp. 12–20. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4051-2680-9.
- ^ Craig, Harmon (1953). The geochemistry of the stable carbon isotopes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago (Ph.D. Thesis).
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- .
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- ^ a b c d Shor, Elizabeth Noble (1978). Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Probing the Oceans 1936 to 1976 (PDF). San Diego, California: Tofua Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ S2CID 34373069.
- .
- ^ a b Craig, H. (1963). "The isotopic geochemistry of water and carbon in geothermal areas". In Tongiorgi, E. (ed.). Nuclear Geology on Geothermal Areas. Proceedings of the First Spoleto Conference, Spoleto, ltaly. Pisa: V. Lischi & Figli. pp. 17–53.
- ^ a b Craig, H.; Gordon, L.I. (1965). "Deuterium and oxygen 18 variations in the ocean and the marine atmosphere". In Tongiorgi, E. (ed.). Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperatures, Proceedings of the Third Spoleto Conference, Spoleto, ltaly. Pisa: V. Lischi & Figli. pp. 9–130.
- ^ Craig, H. (1965). "The measurement of oxygen isotope paleotemperatures". In Tongiorgi, E. (ed.). Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperatures, Proceedings of the Third Spoleto Conference, Spoleto, ltaly. Pisa: V. Lischi & Figli. pp. 161–182.
- ^ S2CID 34179724.
- .
- hdl:1912/24088.
- ^ Jenkins, W. J. (October 8, 2002). "W. Brian Clarke Professor Emeritus Physics & Astronomy 1937-2002". McMaster University. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ISBN 9780674017368.
- .
- . Retrieved 24 April 2019.
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- ^ a b Craig, H; Lupton, J E; Chung, Y; Horowitz, R M (1977). Technical Report No.7, Investigation of radon and helium as possible fluid-phase precursors to earthquakes. Technical Report No. 2, Additional task: Radon, helium and geochemical monitoring on the Palmdale uplift. La Jolla, California: Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- S2CID 40963868. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- S2CID 134878848.
- ISBN 9789401577953. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- S2CID 1833369.
- ^ a b c Page, Douglas (1999). "Harmon Craig: The Gumshoe of Geochemistry". Scribd.
- S2CID 179027416.
- ^ Broecker, W.S. (September 29, 1980). "Chapter 15: Geochemical Tracers and Ocean Circulation" (PDF). In Warren, Bruce A.; Wunsch, Carl (eds.). Evolution of Physical Oceanography. The MIT Press. pp. 434–461. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Harmon Craig Wins Balzan Prize" (PDF). The Geochemical News. No. January. 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Harmon Craig USA 1998 Balzan Prize for Geochemistry (Acceptance Speech – Rome)". International Balzan Prize Foundation. November 23, 1998. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ .
- S2CID 34912363.
- ^ a b "Two Geochemists Win Prizes in Earth Science". The New York Times. November 19, 1987. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ Marti, Kurt; Weiss, Ray F.; Winterer, Edward L. "In Memoriam: Harmon Craig Professor of Oceanography". UC San Diego. UC San Diego Senate. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "Harmon Craig". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Harmon Craig Biography". Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.
- ^ "Harmon Craig wins Balzan Prize". The Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin. Society for Archaeological Sciences. 1998. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- PMID 12802321.
External links
- Oral history interview transcript with Harmon Craig on 29 April 1996, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- "Accession No.: 2003-41 PROCESSING RECORD: Harmon Bushnell Craig Papers, 1948-2003" (PDF). SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY ARCHIVES. Retrieved 19 April 2019.