George Ferdinand Becker (1847–1919) was an American geologist. His most important work was in connection with the origin and mode of occurrence of ore deposits, especially those of the western United States.[1]
George Ferdinand Becker | |
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| Born | 5 January 1847 |
| Died | 20 April 1919 (aged 72) Washington, D.C., USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University University of Heidelberg Royal School of Mines (Berlin) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geology, Geophysics |
| Institutions | University of California, United States Geological Survey |
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Biography
editBecker was born in New York City, 5 January 1847. He was the son of Alexander Christian Becker and Sarah Cary Tuckerman Becker of Boston, Massachusetts.[2] He graduated from Harvard University in 1868, studied at Heidelberg, receiving the degree of Ph.D. in 1869, and, two years later, passed the final examination of the Royal School of Mines in Berlin. From 1875 until 1879 he was instructor of mining and metallurgy at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1879 he became connected with the United States Geological Survey, and later was placed in charge of the California division of geology. In 1880 he was appointed special agent of the 10th census, and in 1882 was further appointed special agent in charge of the investigation of the precious-metal industries.[3]
Becker was a leader in mining geology and geophysics, and for many years was the chief of the Division of Chemical and Physical Research in the United States Geological Survey. The investigations under his direction led to the establishment of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.[2]
Becker was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1901 and the American Philosophical Society in 1907.[4][5]
In 1896 Becker examined the gold mines of South Africa and at the time of the Spanish–American War was detailed to serve as geologist on the staff of General Bell with the army in the Philippine Islands.[2] Becker served as president of the Geological Society of America in 1914.[6][7] He died on 20 April 1919 in Washington, D.C.[8][9]
Publications
edit- 1880: Atomic Weight Determinations:A Digest of the Investigations published since 1814 at Google Books
- 1882: Geology of the Comstock Lode
- 1885: Geometrical Form of Volcanic Cones
- 1885: Notes on the Stratigraphy of California
- Cretaceous Metamorphic Rocks of California (1886)
- A Theory of Maximum Dissipativity (1886)
- A New Law of Thermo-Chemistry (1886)
- Statistics and Technology of the Precious Metals with S. F. Emmons (1885)
- Geological sketches of the precious metal deposits of the western United States (1885) by Samuel Franklin Emmons and George F. Becker. Extracted from the Tenth United States Census
- Geology of the Quicksilver Deposits of the Pacific Slope (1886).
- Reconnaissance of the Gold Fields of Southern Alaska: With Some Notes on General Geology (1898)
- "Relations Between Local Magnetic Disturbances and the Genesis of Petroleum" US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 401 (1909)
- 1910: "The Age of the Earth" Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 36, No. 6, Publication 1936
- 1916: Mechanics of the Panama Canal slides
References
edit- ^ Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- ^ a b c Obituary. New York Times. April 22, 1919, p. 17 (261 words)
- ^ Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ "George Becker". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ Fairchild, Herman LeRoy, 1932, The Geological Society of America 1888-1930, a Chapter in Earth Science History: New York, The Geological Society of America, 232 p.
- ^ Eckel, Edwin, 1982, GSA Memoir 155, The Geological Society of America — Life History of a Learned Society: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir 155, 168 p., ISBN 0-8137-1155-X.
- ^ www.s9.com http://www.s9.com/Biography/Becker-George-Ferdinand. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)[title missing] - ^ "Memorial of George Ferdinand Becker" by Arthur Louis Day. GSA Bulletin; March 1920; v. 31; no. 1; p. 14–25
External links
edit
- . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
- . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.
- National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
- Works by George Ferdinand Becker at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
