Thomas Brennan Nolan

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Thomas Brennan Nolan
Director of the United States Geological Survey
In office
1956 (1956)–1965 (1965)
Preceded byWilliam Embry Wrather
Succeeded byWilliam Thomas Pecora
Personal details
Born(1901-05-21)May 21, 1901
US Geological Survey
ThesisGeology of the northwest portion of the Spring Mountains, Nevada (1924)

Thomas Brennan Nolan (May 21, 1901 – August 2, 1992) was an American geologist who was director of the

nolanite is named in his honor and he was an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[2] the United States National Academy of Sciences,[3] and the American Philosophical Society.[4]
He was generally known as Tom Nolan.

Early life

Nolan was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 1901.[1]

He was educated at New Haven, Connecticut, then studied Metallurgy at Yale University, graduating with a BS in 1921. He continued studying at Yale and received a PhD in Geology in 1924.[5] After training for the Civil Service he joined the US Geological Survey,[6]

USGS career

After Director

National Academy of Sciences, and had been president of the Society of Economic Geologists and the Geological Society of America (1961[7]
).

As Director, his professional responsibilities outside the Survey were still further extended to service as vice president and president of the Geological Society of America, as vice president of the International Union of Geological Sciences, and on committees advisory to university geology departments. In 1956, the Geological Survey began an evaluation of the effects of underground nuclear explosions at the Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada Test Site; that program was expanded to study the geologic and hydrologic conditions affecting the peaceful uses of atomic energy and the disposal of radioactive wastes.

In December 1958, Director Nolan, speaking at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, remarked that the early work of the Geological Survey had been characterized by a transition from exploration of a geographical to an intellectual frontier, but demands by younger scientists for studies of the geography of outer space might soon inaugurate a new cycle in the history of the US Geological Survey.

In 1959, the Survey compiled a photogeologic map of the Earth's satellite, the Moon, and began studies of

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, began to train astronauts in geology and to investigate and evaluate methods and equipment for geological and geophysical exploration of the Moon.[8]

He died in

Washington, D.C., on August 2, 1992.[9][10]

Family

He was married to Mabel ("Pete") Orleman (d.1983). They had one son.

Publications

References

  1. ^ a b Leopold, Luna B.; Baker, Arthur A. (June 1996). "Memorial to Thomas Brennan Nolan (1901-1992)" (PDF). Memorials. 27. Geological Society of America.
  2. ^ "Thomas Brennan Nolan". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  3. ^ "Thomas B. Nolan". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  4. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  5. OCLC 33878068 – via ProQuest
    .
  6. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  7. ISBN 0-8137-1155-X
    .
  8. ^ USGS History
  9. The Royal Society of Edinburgh
    .
  10. New York Times
    .

Additional sources

  • Thomas Brennan Nolan bio. U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Robinson, S.C., Evans, H.T., Jr., Schaller, W.T. and Fahey, J.J. (1957) Nolanite, a new iron-vanadium mineral from Beaverlodge, Saskatchewan. American Mineralogist, 42, 619–628.
  • Stewart, David B. "Memorial of Thomas Brennan Nolan, 1901-1992". American Mineralogist, vol.79, no.5-6, pp. 575–576, Jun 1994

External links

Further reading


Government offices
Preceded by Director of the United States Geological Survey
1956–1965 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Brennan_Nolan&oldid=1214233178"