ArthurHolmes

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ProfArthurHolmesFRS[1]FRSELLD(14January1890
20September1965)wasaBritishgeologistwhomadetwo
majorcontributionstotheunderstandingofgeology.He
pioneeredtheuseofradiometricdatingofmineralsandwas
thefirstearthscientisttograspthemechanicalandthermal
implicationsofmantleconvection,whichledeventuallyto
theacceptanceofplatetectonics.[2][3]

ArthurHolmes

Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Life
Family
Ageoftheearth
Continentaldrift
Honoursandawards
Majorworks
References
Externallinks

Life
HewasborninHepburn,nearNewcastleuponTyne,theson
ofDavidHolmes,acabinetmaker,andhiswife,Emily
Dickinson.[4]

ArthurHolmesaroundage22
Born

14January1890
Gateshead,UnitedKingdomofGreat
BritainandIreland

Died

20September1965(aged75)
London,UnitedKingdom

Nationality British
Institutions DurhamUniversity(19241942),
UniversityofEdinburgh(19431956)
Almamater ImperialCollegeLondon
Influences

RobertStrutt

AsachildhelivedinLowFell,Gatesheadandattendedthe
Notable
MurchisonMedal(1940)
GatesheadHigherGradeSchool(laterGatesheadGrammar
awards
FRS(1942)[1]
School).[5]At17,heenrolledtostudyphysicsattheRoyal
WollastonMedal(1956)
CollegeofScience(nowImperialCollegeLondon),buttook
PenroseMedal(1956)
acourseingeologyinhissecondyearwhichsettledhis
VetlesenPrize(1964)
future,againsttheadviceofhistutors.Survivingona
scholarshipof60/yearwasdifficultandongraduatinghe
tookajobprospectingformineralsinMozambique.Aftersixmonths,withnodiscoveries,hebecamesoill
withmalariathatanoticeofhisdeathwaspostedhome.Howeverherecoveredenoughtocatchtheboathome
andbecameademonstratoratImperialCollege.[6]
Heobtainedhisdoctorate(ofScience)in1917andin1920joinedanoilcompanyinBurmaaschiefgeologist.
Thecompanyfailed,andhereturnedtoEnglandpennilessin1924.HehadbeenaccompaniedinBurmabyhis
threeyearoldson,whocontracteddysenteryanddiedshortlybeforeHolmes'sdeparture.
Arthurdiedat20StJohn'sAvenueinPutney,Londonon20September1965..[7]

Family

Hemarriedhisfirstwife,MargaretHowein1914.Aftershediedin1938,Holmesinthefollowingyear
marriedDorisReynolds,ageologistwhohadjoinedtheteachingstaffatDurham.Afterhisdeathsheeditedthe
thirdeditionofthePrinciples.[8]

Ageoftheearth
Holmeswasapioneerofgeochronology,andperformedthefirstaccurateuraniumleadradiometricdating
(specificallydesignedtomeasuretheageofarock)whileanundergraduateinLondon,assigninganageof
370MatoaDevonianrockfromNorway,improvingontheworkofBoltwoodwhopublishednothingmoreon
thesubject.Thisresultwaspublishedin1911,[9]afterhisgraduationin1910.
1912sawHolmesonthestaffofImperialCollege,publishinghisfamousbookTheAgeoftheEarthin1913in
whichhearguedstronglyforradioactivemethodscomparedwithmethodsbasedongeologicalsedimentation
orcoolingoftheearth(manypeoplestillclungtoLordKelvin'scalculationsoflessthan100Ma).He
estimatedtheoldestArcheanrockstobe1,600Ma,butdidnotspeculateabouttheEarth'sage.[10]Bythistime
thediscoveryofisotopeshadcomplicatedthecalculationsandhespentthenextyearsgrapplingwiththese.His
promotionofthetheoryoverthenextdecadesheearnedthenicknameofFatherofmoderngeochronology.[11]
By1927hehadrevisedthisfigureto3,000Ma[12]andinthe1940sto4,500100Ma,basedonmeasurements
oftherelativeabundanceofuraniumisotopesbyAlfredO.C.Nier.[13]Thegeneralmethodisnowknownas
theHolmesHoutermanmodelafterFritzHoutermanswhopublishedinthesameyear,1946.[14]
In1924hewasappointedtothenewlycreatedpostofreaderingeologyatDurhamUniversity.Eighteenyears
laterhisachievementswererecognised,whenhebecameaFellowoftheRoyalSocietyin1942.[1]Inthe
followingyearhewasappointedtothechairofgeologyattheUniversityofEdinburgh,followingthedeathof
ProfThomasJamesJehu,whichposthehelduntilretirementin1956.In1944hepublishedthefirsteditionof
hisPrinciplesofPhysicalGeologywhichbecameastandardtextbookintheUKandelsewhere.[15]

Continentaldrift
Holmeschampionedthetheoryofcontinentaldrift
promotedbyAlfredWegeneratatimewhenitwasdeeply
unfashionablewithhismoreconservativepeers.One
problemwiththetheorylayinthemechanismof
movement,andHolmesproposedthatEarth'smantle
containedconvectioncellsthatdissipatedradioactiveheat
andmovedthecrustatthesurface.HisPrinciplesof
PhysicalGeologyendedwithachapteroncontinentaldrift.
Partofthemodelwastheoriginoftheseafloorspreading
concept.[16][17]

Spreadingatamidoceanridge

Honoursandawards
HewasawardedboththeWollastonMedalandthePenroseMedalin1956.TheArthurHolmesMedalofthe
EuropeanGeosciencesUnionisnamedafterhim.
AcrateronMarshasbeennamedinhishonour.
TheDurhamUniversityDepartmentofEarthSciences'IsotopeGeologyLaboratory[18]isnamedafterhim,asis
thestudents'GeologySociety.

Majorworks

Theageoftheearth1913,Harper&Brothers,2ndedition1927,3rdedition1937.
Thenomenclatureofpetrology,withreferencestoselectedliterature.ThosMurby,London,van
Nostrand,NewYork,1920,2ndedition1928.
PetrographicmethodsandcalculationswithsomeexamplesofresultsachievedThosMurby,London,
19212ndedition1930.
RadioactivityandEarthMovements,TransGeologicalSoc,Glasgow,vol18,pp559606.pdf(http://ww
w.mantleplumes.org/WebDocuments/Holmes1931.pdf)
PrinciplesofPhysicalGeology1944,ThomasNelson&Sons,2ndedition1965,3rdedition(withDoris
Holmes)1978,4thedition(withDonaldDuff)1993.
ThePhanerozoictimescaleasymposiumdedicatedtoProfessorArthurHolmesGeologicalSociety,
London,1964.

References
1.Dunham,K.C.(1966)."ArthurHolmes18901965".BiographicalMemoirsofFellowsoftheRoyalSociety.12:
290226.doi:10.1098/rsbm.1966.0013.
2.EdmondA.Mathez,ed.(2000),EARTH:INSIDEANDOUT,NewPress,retrieved5February2013
3."Holmes,Arthur".TheOxfordDictionaryofNationalBiography.2004.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33951.
4.BIOGRAPHICALINDEXOFFORMERFELLOWSOFTHEROYALSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH17832002
(PDF).TheRoyalSocietyofEdinburgh.July2006.ISBN090219884X.
5.CommemorativePlaquesinGatesheadBorough
6.Lewis,CherryL.E.,ArthurHolmes:AnIngeniousGeoscientist(PDF),retrieved5February2013
7.BIOGRAPHICALINDEXOFFORMERFELLOWSOFTHEROYALSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH17832002
(PDF).TheRoyalSocietyofEdinburgh.July2006.ISBN090219884X.
8.DorisReynolds,retrieved5February2013
9.Holmes,A.(1911)."TheAssociationofLeadwithUraniuminRockMinerals,andItsApplicationtothe
MeasurementofGeologicalTime".ProceedingsoftheRoyalSocietyA:Mathematical,PhysicalandEngineering
Sciences.85(578):248.Bibcode:1911RSPSA..85..248H.doi:10.1098/rspa.1911.0036.
10.Holmes,Arthur(1913),TheAgeoftheEarth,London:Harper,p.18
11.TheArthurHolmesGeologicalSociety,UniversityofDurham,retrieved3February2013
12.Dalrymple,G.Brent(2004),AncientEarth,AncientSkies:TheAgeofEarthandItsCosmicSurroundings,Stanford
UniversityPress,p.52OddlyDalrympledoesn'tseemtohavereadHolmes's1913edition.
13.Reynolds,JohnH.,AlfredOttoCarlNier
14.Dalrymple2004,p.156
15.Holmes,Arthur(1944),PrinciplesofPhysicalGeology(1ed.),Edinburgh:ThomasNelson&Sons,ISBN017
4480202
16.Wessel,P.Mller,R.D.(2007),"PlateTectonics",TreatiseonGeophysics,6,Elsevier,pp.4998
17.Vine,F.J.(1966)."SpreadingoftheOceanFloor:NewEvidence".Science.154(3755):14051415.
Bibcode:1966Sci...154.1405V.doi:10.1126/science.154.3755.1405.PMID17821553.
18.ArthurHolmesLaboratory,DurhamUniversity,retrieved31July2016

Externallinks
Lewis,Cherry(2000),TheDatingGame:OneMan'sSearchfortheAgeoftheEarth,Cambridge
UniversityPress,ISBN0521893127
GeologicalSocietyofAmerica:shortbiography(http://gsahist.org/gsat/gt02mar17_18.htm),[1](http://gs
ahist.org/gsat/gt02mar17_16.pdf)
Anothershortbiography(http://www.strangescience.net/holmes.htm)
ArthurHolmesGeologicalSociety(http://www.ahgsdurham.com)
WorksbyoraboutArthurHolmes(https://worldcat.org/identities/lccnn5032679)inlibraries(WorldCat
catalog)
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Holmes&oldid=747832420"
Categories: 1890births 1965deaths PeoplefromHebburn AlumniofImperialCollegeLondon
Britishgeologists Tectonicists PenroseMedalwinners AcademicsoftheUniversityofEdinburgh

AcademicsofDurhamUniversity WollastonMedalwinners FellowsoftheRoyalSociety

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