W. Brian Harland
W. Brian Harland | |
---|---|
Scientific career | |
Fields | Geology |
Institutions | University of Cambridge |
Doctoral students | David G. Gee |
Walter Brian Harland (22 March 1917 – 1 November 2003) was a British
Background
Early life and education
Walter Brian Harland was born 22 March 1917 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the son of Walter Ernest Harland (1880-1947), auctioneer and estate agent, and his wife, Alice Marian, née Whitfield (1883-1954). He grew up exploring many of the geological features of Yorkshire, and was taught mapping at primary school. As an 11 year old at the Downs School, Colwall, later The Downs Malvern he carried out a field study and geologically mapped the Malvern Hills.[2] When he was thirteen and at Bootham School[3][4] in York he discovered a near complete skeleton of Steneosaurus Brevior, an 11 foot long crocodile fossilized in the Jurassic rocks of the North Yorkshire coast, which was removed to the Natural History Museum, London.[5] In 1935 he went to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated with double first-class honours in natural sciences (geology) in 1938.[6]
Personal life
Brian became a
Academic career
After graduating, he started on a
Conscientious objection/West China
Harland was a
Friendship with Joseph Needham
He maintained a lifelong friendship with Joseph Needham, from his time as a student at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge when he invited the geochemist (already a college Fellow of 11 years standing) to address the College's Natural Science Club. They met again in China during 1942 to 1946 when they were both based in Sechwan, now known as Sichuan.[12]
After the war they both returned to Cambridge where Needham became the leading scholar of the history of Chinese science. Harland became a founder trustee of the Needham Research Institute and "gave" Needham's eulogy at his memorial service.[13]
Work
Fieldwork
Field education was of utmost importance to Harland who saw it as a vital part of a university education in geological sciences. He was particularly associated with training first year students in the varied geology of the
Arctic Geology and Cambridge Spitsbergen Expeditions
Harland was continuously involved with Arctic geological exploration and research. He first went to
From 1948 he developed and directed the Cambridge Spitsbergen Expeditions (CSE) from the Cambridge University Department of Geology, later Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge University. This became the Cambridge Svalbard Exploration research group and later developed into the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, CASP. There were forty three summer seasons of expeditionary fieldwork, of which he led twenty nine. More than 300 undergraduates and about fifty graduate collaborators were involved over the years. Svalbard proved an excellent training ground for future geologists producing around thirty PhD theses and over three hundred scientific papers. Many senior figures in academia, industry and polar work gained early field experience on these expeditions.[17]
Harland's work in the Arctic is commemorated by Harland Huset, the UK's Arctic Research Station located in
Survey field work and mapping
Cambridge Spitsbergen Expeditions carried out a programme of systematic geological and stratigraphic investigations. Early fieldwork involved transport in small open boats, man hauled sledges and much pack carrying to the study area, using primitive equipment and often in harsh conditions. Expeditions from 1949 to 1960 spent much effort on a simultaneous geological and topographical survey using map triangulation to fix the position of mountain tops.[21][22]
He was awarded a
Svalbard Geology
From 1961 he extended the Svalbard project by negotiating financial support from oil companies: this enabled a programme of field investigations in wider areas, supported by better transport including a series of motor boats and occasional chartered helicopters. Local successions of rock units and fossils were described and correlations made in accord with the developing stratigraphic standards, providing the data for geotectonic interpretation and historical synthesis. Harland and colleagues’ research into Svalbard geology culminated in the comprehensive ′The Geology of Svalbard′ published in 1997.[25]
Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme (CASP)
In 1975 Harland formed the Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme (CASP) as an extension of Cambridge Svalbard Exploration. The objective was field and literature based geological investigations into key aspects of the whole Arctic and surrounding areas, financed by subscriptions from the oil and gas industry. In 1988 CASP was incorporated as a non-profit research institute allied to the Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge University. Its prime objective continued to be independent research, publication and education, while it increased its scope for geo-scientific research to China and Antarctica and other areas far beyond the Arctic. In the year of his death in 2003 CASP employed some twenty-five staff.[26][27]
Information Management
Harland believed in the importance of preserving information and making it available. From his 1949 expedition onwards he operated a universal system for numbering localities, samples and photographs, and this provided the central basis for much collaborative work. Observations and materials collected were the property of the group and belonged to University of Cambridge.
A sophisticated information database, developed out of Harland's extensive library and filing systems, provided the cornerstone of literature based research for CSE and CASP. He developed Georecords, a system where pieces of information were regarded as standard units that could be preserved and handled in a standardised way. A series of paper forms were developed to support the standardisation of geological data extracted from the literature and geologists were employed to complete the forms. These data were then entered into a fully normalized database management system. Work using this system was extensively used, particularly in projects in China and Canada.[28]
Continental Drift
Harland was keen on continental drift since reading Alfred Wegener as a schoolboy and advocated the theory in a talk to his school as a 15 year old.[29][30] At Cambridge University he found an establishment that was hostile to the idea which was held to be inherently impossible.[31] As a member of staff after the war, when the majority opinion was still opposed to it, he told students to keep an open mind:[32] by 1964 models favouring continental drift became widely accepted.
Palaeomagnetism
Harland was using
Global Late Precambrian Glaciations
Harland argued that there had been severe global glaciations in late Precambrian times and the evidence he presented was to form the foundations of Snowball Earth theory. His views were informed by extensive fieldwork on the glacial marine deposits in the Hecla Hoek strata in Svalbard.[41]
He showed that evidence of late Precambrian global glaciations was remarkably widespread by gathering evidence from all the continents of the world except the
When he presented his paper on evidence for a late Precambrian ice age, at the NATO conference in January 1963, it was not well received; attention was drawn by others to widespread evidence of aqueous deposition. It was not until the 1990s that the idea was more generally accepted, when Paul F. Hoffman and colleagues, argued that several such "Snowball Earth" episodes had occurred towards the end of Precambrian history.[44]
Collision Zones
Harland investigated mountain belts and the relationship between stresses in the Earth and the building of the mountains. His field work and research in Svalbard looked closely at the Hecla Hoek rocks, a great geosyncline and part of the complex sedimentation belts of
He coined the word ′transpression′ to convey the idea that many mountains have resulted from oblique convergence of the margins of the belt, rather than simple, vice-like compression perpendicular to the length of the belt. He also showed that continued transpression or compression could result in extrusion of the core of the belt, parallel to its length. "Transtension", with pull apart basins in zones of oblique extension, was a natural compliment.[46]
Iapetus Ocean Named
In 1972 he named the
Stratigraphy and Time Scales
Harland was a leading figure in compiling information on geological time scales and their ongoing development. He saw there was an urgent need to produce reliable time scales and provide organised high quality data for the scientific community. He produced four editions of the geologic time scale starting with the Geological Society of London 1964 time scale and its 1971 supplement. In the influential A Geologic Time Scale 1982, second edition 1989, the chronometric scale, based on units of duration, is calibrated with the chronostratic scale, based on a scale of rock sequences with standardised reference points, to form the geochronogic scale.[48][49][50][51]
He was a key protagonist of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP) and was its first secretary from 1969 to 1972, when a professional secretariat in UNESCO took over. He was committed to raising standards of scientific clarity and precision and on standardising the international chronostratic scale. Arising out of this he initiated two projects: the Precambrian Cambrian Boundary Project and the Pre-Pleistocene Tillite Project, which concluded with a volume of over 211 contributions. His prime stratigraphic interest was the working group on Terminal Precambrian systems with their tillites. He was Chairman of the Stratigraphy Committee of the Geological Society of London (GSSC) 1969-1973 and served on the International Sub-commission for Stratigraphy Classification (ISSC).[52][53]
Earth science publications
Apart from being a prolific writer and collaborator himself, Harland promoted and facilitated the publication of geological research. For over 30 years from 1956 to 1988, he edited the Geological Magazine: the international journal published bi-monthly by the Cambridge University Press.[54]
As Honorary Secretary of the Geological Society of London from 1963 to 1970 he led plans for the Society to become a centre for collaborative research. He initiated a series of multi-contribution books, which led to the Society's flagship series of Special Publications that had by his death in 2003, produced more than 200 volumes.[55] From 1966 to 1981 he was Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Earth Science Series at Cambridge University Press, and continued on the Board until 1986.
Administration
Harland was thoroughly involved in administration throughout his career. He was secretary of the Department of Geology, later
Awards
- Wollaston Fund, Geological Society. 1956.[57]
- Founder's Medal from the Royal Geographical Societyfor Arctic exploration and research 1968.
- Lyell Medal, Geological Society of London. 1976.[58]
- Polar medal – Arctic to 1977 for geological exploration of Spitzbergen. 1979.[59]
Collections and Archives
Some 60,000 specimens of
The records of the Cambridge Svalbard Exploration Collection (ref. CSEC) are also at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences. The collection contains accounting records, administration files, expedition notes, and equipment records which all relate to work undertaken in Svalbard from 1949 until 1992. Much of this material includes far more information than has been previously published about the expeditions or the work undertaken.
Most of the expedition records are organized on the twinlock filing system – and include administrative papers, logs of each party, bulletins, accounts, as well as specimen, station, negative, and photograph catalogues, and copies of field notes. Individual field notebooks include diary entries, observations, details of specimens, and sketches. These were written and maintained by each individual and later amalgamated by Brian after each expedition (and its subsequent research) was completed.
The collection also includes glass plate photographs, miscellaneous tapes, photograph albums, offprints of articles, maps and plans, index cards & notes (specimen catalogues), curation reports (1990s), and some objects. There are also a series of records (reports) of the Norsk-Cambridge Svalbard Expeditions (NCSE) and Cambridge Archive Shelf Programme (CASP). A collection-level description is available on the Archives Hub[60]
See also
References
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Harland, W.B. ′The Geology of the Malvern Hills, lab and field notes, 1928-1931′ unpublished records
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- OCLC 844773709.
- ^ Schoolboy captures a crocodile, 7th May 1931, Daily Mail, Archives
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Bullard, E.C., Gaskell, T.F., Harland, W.B., and Kerr-Grant, C., 1940. ′Seismic investigations on the Palaeozoic floor of East England′. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Series A) 239, 29-94
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Shandan Bailie School, ′Geology, General Report 1947′. Shanghai, China. pp32-33. unpublished records
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- .
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1995. ′Obituaries, Joseph Needham, address at memorial service′ The Caian pp107-110
- ^ Harper, E. and Woods, Sam. 2004 ′Obituaries of Caius Fellows, Harland, W.B′ The Caian, pp240
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1942. ′Geological Notes on the Stubendorf Mountains, West Spitsbergen.′Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Section B. Biology, 61(2), pp 119-129.
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "NERC Arctic Office". Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Place Names in Norwegian Polar Areas, Harlandisen". Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Poulsom, N.W., and Myres, J.A.L., 2000. ′British Polar Exploration and Research: A Historical and Medallic Record with Biographies, 1818-1999′ Savannah Publications, London.
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1952 ′The Cambridge Spitsbergen Expedition 1949′ Geographical Journal 118, 309-31, 508-9.
- ISBN 9781897799932
- ^ "Gold Medal Recipients" (PDF). Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Pickert, S. 2007. ′Building Blocks of the Earth′. In Objects in Transition: an exhibition at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science Berlin. pp32-33.
- ISBN 9781897799932
- ^ "CASP". Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1932 ′The Physiological history of the earth' unpublished.
- ^ Walker, Gabrielle. 2003. In the beginningin ′Snowball Earth′ pp55-82, Bloomsbury.
- ^ Jeffreys, H. 1924. The Earth: Its origin, history and physical constitution Cambridge University Press, 6th edition 1976
- ^ Frankel, Henry R. 2012 Continental Drift Controversty Cambridge University Press. Vol. 3. p48.
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1959. ′The Caledonian sequence of Ny Friesland, Spitsbergen′ Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London vol 114, pp338
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1961. ′An outline structural history of Spitsbergen in Geology of the Arctic′, University of Toronto Press. p127
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1965. ′Discussion: Tectonic evolution of the Arctic North Atlantic Region. In A Symposium on continental drift. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society vol. 258 pp59-75
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1965, unpublished diary
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1997. ′The Geology of Svalbard′ Geological Society of London. pp37-44
- ^ Harland, W.B. 1981 ′Chronology of Earth's glacial and tectonic record′ Journal of the Geological Society of London vol 138 pp198
- ^ Bidgood D.E.T., and Harland W.B. 1959 ′Palaeomagnetism in some Norwegian Sparagmites and the late Pre-Cambrian Ice Age′ Nature vol 184, supplement 24, 1860-2
- ^ Bidgood D.E.T., and Harland W.B. 1961 ′Palaeomagnetism in some East Greenland sedimentary rocks′ Nature vol 189, pp633-4
- ^ Harland, W.B and Wilson, C.B 1956 ′The Heckla Hoek succession in Ny Friesland, Spitsbergen′ Geological Magazine vol 93. pp284
- ^ Harland, W.B 1964 ′Evidence of Late Pre-Cambrian glaciation and its significance′ In Problems of Palaeoclimatology ed. A.E.M Nairn pp121.
- ^ Harland, W.B and Rudwick, J.S 1964 ′The Great Infra-Cambrian ice age′. Scientific American vol 211, no2, pp28-36
- ^ Walker, Gabrielle. 2003. In the beginningin ′Snowball Earth′ pp71-74, Bloomsbury
- ^ Harland, W.B and Bailey, M.B 1958 ′Tectonic Regimes′ Geological MagazineXVC, no 2, pp89-104
- ^ Harland, W.B 1971 ′Tectonic transpression in Caledonian Spitsbergen′ Geological Magazine vol. 108 (1) pp27-41
- ^ Harland, W.B, and Gayer, R.A 1972 ′The Arctic Caledonides and earlier Oceans′ Geological Magazine vol 109. pp304-305
- ^ Harland, W.B., Smith, A.G., Wilcock, B. 1964 ′Phanerozoic time-scale′ Geological Society of London
- ^ Harland, W.B., Francis, E.H., Evans P., 1971 ′Phanerozoic time-scale: a supplement′ Geological Society of London
- ^ Harland, W.B. et al. 1982 ′A Geologic Time-Scale (Cambridge Earth Sciences Series)' Cambridge University Press
- ^ Harland, W.B., et al 1989 ′A Geologic Time-Scale (Cambridge Earth Sciences Series)' Cambridge University Press
- ^ Hambrey, M.J., and Harland, W.B. 1981 ′Earth's pre-Pleistocene glacial record′ Cambridge University Press
- ^ Hughes, N.F. 1989 ′Harland, W.B- editor 1956-1988′ Geological Magazine vol 126(5) pp463
- ^ Hughes, N.F. 1989 ′Harland, W.B- editor 1956-1988′ Geological Magazine vol 126(5) pp463-468
- ^ "W.B Harland-Obituaries, News". The Independent. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Harper, E. and Woods, Sam. 2004 ′Obituaries of Caius Fellows, Harland, W.B′ The Caian, pp240237-8
- ^ "Award Winners since 1831". Geological Society. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
- ^ "Award Winners since 1831". Geological Society. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
- ^ "Polar Medal". London Gazette. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
- ^ "Archives Hub Cambridge Svalbard Exploration Collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 25 July 2017.