Arthur Holmes is a great English geologist who made a huge contribution to the understanding of geology. Member of the Royal Society of London.
early years
Arthur Holmes was born on January 14, 1890 in Hebbern, Great Britain into a poor family: Arthur's father was a cabinetmaker. As a child, Holmes lived in Low Fell and studied at the Getztshead High School, where he achieved particular success in physics and geography.
Education
In 1907, 17-year-old Arthur entered King's College and studied physics, but in his sophomore year he took a course in geology, which largely determined his future.
The college scholarship was small (only £ 60 a year), so young Arthur took a job with a mining company in Mozambique. There, Holmes fell so seriously ill with malaria that a letter was sent to England about his death, but soon the young man recovered and went home, where he continued his studies at the Imperial College.
In 1917, Arthur Holmes defended his work and received his doctorate.
Career and research activities
In 1920, Holmes joined an oil company in Burma as chief geologist, but soon (in 1924) the company went bankrupt, and the man returned home completely destitute. In Burma, he lived with a 3-year-old son who died there of dysentery.
In 1924, Arthur became head of the department of geology at Durham University, a post he held until 1943, and later became head of the department of geology at the University of Edinburgh, where he worked until 1956.
Arthur Holmes died at the age of 76 on September 20, 1965 in London.
Personal life
Arthur has been married twice. Holmes married his first wife, Margaret Howe, in 1914, the woman died in 1938. Arthur's second wife is Doris Reynolds, a geologist.
Discoveries and meaningful research
Age of the Earth
Arthur Holmes, a pioneer of geochronology, was the first to perform precise radiometric dating of lead uranium, which allowed the age of the earth to be determined. Holmes's progressive research made it possible to determine the age of the planet at 370 million years.
In 1912, Holmes published his famous Era of the Earth. A little later, Arthur revised the established age of the Earth, repeating the study, the scientist determined that its exact age is 4500 +/- 100 million years. The method that Arthur Holmes used in conducting these studies was later named after the scientist.
Awards
Thanks to his merits in geology, Arthur Holmes began to be called the father of modern geochronology. The great scientist was awarded many prestigious awards: the Murchison (1940), Wollaston (1956) and Penrose (1956) medals. Also in honor of Arthur Holmes, a crater on Mars is named, as well as a medal for special services in geology.
