Alfred Harker (petrologist)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Harker FRS was an English
geologist who specialised in petrology
and interpretive petrography
. He worked for the Geological Survey of Scotland and conducted extensive surveying and geological studies of western Scotland
and the Isle of Skye. He and other British geologists pioneered the use of thin section
s and the petrographic microscope
in interpretive petrology.
corn merchant Portas Hewart Harker, his mother Ellen Mary Harker. He attended Hull
and East Riding College
, and the private Clewar House School (Windsor
) before enrolling as an undergraduate at St. John's College
(Cambridge
) from where he graduated with an M.A.
in 18 January 1882. In 1884 he held the post of Demonstrator in the Geology Department under Thomas McKenny Hughes
(whom he regarded his mentor
), as Lecturer
at Newnham College in 1892 at St. Johns College
, as University Lecturer
in 1904, and as Reader
in Petrology in 1918.
Harker's duties included teaching Mineralogy and Petrology to students. Harker was elected as a College Fellow of St. John’s in 1885. A geological tour of Western Europe in 1887 introduced him to the metamorphic rocks of the Ardennes which proved to be an influential experience to his continuing research. Harker accompanied Professor Thomas McKenny-Hughes to the United States
in 1891 where they attended the 5th International Geological Congress. This was the first time the event had been held outside of Europe.
of Great Britain on a part-time basis. Professor McKenny-Hughes had also worked with the Survey, but Harker’s invitation came from the then Director General, Archibald Geikie
. This was to assist in the mapping and determination of the igneous rocks of the Isle of Skye and the small Isles. This association lasted some 10 years or so. At this time, he also became a Member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
Harker’s active fieldwork programme also saw him collaborating with Professor John Edward Marr
of the Department of Geology on the volcanic rocks of the Lake District
in 1889. The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
opened in 1904 and three years later, Harker published research on material he had prepared petrological rock slices of. He named the petrological samples brought back by Charles Darwin
as the ‘Beagle Collection of Rocks’.
A book illustrating the geology and landscapes of the Western Isles of Scotland was published post-humously. Many of the illustrations in this work were based on drawings he made in his numerous field notebooks.
, in 1922 he was awarded the Wollaston medal
by the Geological Society of London
, to which he had served as president from 1916–1918, and in 1935 the Royal Medal
of the Royal Society
(Fellow since 1902). The University of Edinburgh
awarded him with an honorary doctoral degree in law in 1919. Harker Glacier
on South Georgia Island
, Mount Harker
in Antarctica, and Dorsa Harker
, a feature on the Moon
, are named after him. The mineral harkerite, first found on the Isle of Skye, is named after him. After his retirement, he was given the post of honorary curator
of the Cambridge Petrological Museum, and their extensive rock collection bears his name.
in Cambridge . The archive comprises notebooks, sketchbooks, and photograph albums detailing geological excursions in the U.K from the late nineteenth century. These mostly cover the Isle of Skye, Isle of Arran, Yorkshire (Scarborough), and other Scottish Highlands. There are also notebooks detailing specimens collected (catalogues), lecture note drafts, maps, and some personal records including details of an 80th birthday event. A collection level description is available on the Archives Hub
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
geologist who specialised in petrology
Petrology
Petrology is the branch of geology that studies rocks, and the conditions in which rocks form....
and interpretive petrography
Petrography
Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. Petrographic descriptions start with the field notes at the...
. He worked for the Geological Survey of Scotland and conducted extensive surveying and geological studies of western Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the Isle of Skye. He and other British geologists pioneered the use of thin section
Thin section
In optical mineralogy and petrography, a thin section is a laboratory preparation of a rock, mineral, soil, pottery, bones, or even metal sample for use with a polarizing petrographic microscope, electron microscope and electron microprobe. A thin sliver of rock is cut from the sample with a...
s and the petrographic microscope
Petrographic microscope
A petrographic microscope is a type of optical microscope used in petrology and optical mineralogy to identify rocks and minerals in thin sections. The microscope is used in optical mineralogy and petrography, a branch of petrology which focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks...
in interpretive petrology.
Education and career
Harker's father was the YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
corn merchant Portas Hewart Harker, his mother Ellen Mary Harker. He attended Hull
Hull College
Hull College is a further education College in Hull, England. The enrollment of around 28,000students makes it one of the largest schools of its type in the United Kingdom...
and East Riding College
East Riding College
East Riding College is a further education college located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was formed in March 2002, by the merger of Beverley College and East Yorkshire College, Bridlington.-Campuses and locations:...
, and the private Clewar House School (Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
) before enrolling as an undergraduate at St. John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
(Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
) from where he graduated with an M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 18 January 1882. In 1884 he held the post of Demonstrator in the Geology Department under Thomas McKenny Hughes
Thomas McKenny Hughes
Thomas McKenny Hughes was a Welsh geologist. He was Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge University.-Private life:...
(whom he regarded his mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
), as Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
at Newnham College in 1892 at St. Johns College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, as University Lecturer
Senior lecturer
Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. Especially in research-intensive universities, lecturers lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in 1904, and as Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in Petrology in 1918.
Harker's duties included teaching Mineralogy and Petrology to students. Harker was elected as a College Fellow of St. John’s in 1885. A geological tour of Western Europe in 1887 introduced him to the metamorphic rocks of the Ardennes which proved to be an influential experience to his continuing research. Harker accompanied Professor Thomas McKenny-Hughes to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1891 where they attended the 5th International Geological Congress. This was the first time the event had been held outside of Europe.
Fieldwork and Research
In 1895, Harker commenced employment with the Geological SurveyGeological survey
The term geological survey can be used to describe both the conduct of a survey for geological purposes and an institution holding geological information....
of Great Britain on a part-time basis. Professor McKenny-Hughes had also worked with the Survey, but Harker’s invitation came from the then Director General, Archibald Geikie
Archibald Geikie
Sir Archibald Geikie, OM, KCB, PRS, FRSE , was a Scottish geologist and writer.-Early life:Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835, the eldest son of musician and music critic James Stuart Geikie...
. This was to assist in the mapping and determination of the igneous rocks of the Isle of Skye and the small Isles. This association lasted some 10 years or so. At this time, he also became a Member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
Harker’s active fieldwork programme also saw him collaborating with Professor John Edward Marr
John Edward Marr
John Edward Marr FGS FRS was a British geologist. After studying at Lancaster Royal Grammar School he matriculated to St John's College, Cambridge, graduating with First Class Honours in 1878...
of the Department of Geology on the volcanic rocks of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
in 1889. The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, opened in 1904, is the geology museum of the University of Cambridge in England. It is part of the Department of Earth Sciences and is located on the University's Downing Site in Downing Street, central Cambridge, England.The Sedgwick has a collection of more...
opened in 1904 and three years later, Harker published research on material he had prepared petrological rock slices of. He named the petrological samples brought back by Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
as the ‘Beagle Collection of Rocks’.
Later years
Harker retired in 1931 and St. John’s College made him a Life Fellow soon after his retirement. He died in 1939.A book illustrating the geology and landscapes of the Western Isles of Scotland was published post-humously. Many of the illustrations in this work were based on drawings he made in his numerous field notebooks.
Honors and awards
In 1907, he was awarded the society's Murchison MedalMurchison Medal
An award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. One of the closing public acts of Murchison’s life was the founding of a chair of geology and mineralogy in the University of Edinburgh. Under his will there was established the Murchison Medal and geological fund to be awarded annually...
, in 1922 he was awarded the Wollaston medal
Wollaston Medal
The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London.The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831...
by the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
, to which he had served as president from 1916–1918, and in 1935 the Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(Fellow since 1902). The University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
awarded him with an honorary doctoral degree in law in 1919. Harker Glacier
Harker Glacier
Harker Glacier is a tidewater glacier on South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Harker glacier was first mapped by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition , and named De Geer Glacier, after Gerard De Geer , a Swedish geologist who specialized in geomorphology and geochronology...
on South Georgia Island
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands, known as the South Sandwich...
, Mount Harker
Mount Harker
Mount Harker is a mountain peak located east of Willis Glacier in the Saint Johns Range, Victoria Land, Antarctica. The mountain was first mapped by the Terra Nova Expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott...
in Antarctica, and Dorsa Harker
Dorsa Harker
Dorsa Harker is a wrinkle ridge at in Mare Crisium on the Moon. It is 197 km long and was named after Alfred Harker, an English petrologist, in 1976....
, a feature on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, are named after him. The mineral harkerite, first found on the Isle of Skye, is named after him. After his retirement, he was given the post of honorary curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the Cambridge Petrological Museum, and their extensive rock collection bears his name.
Archives
13 boxes of the papers of Alfred Harker are held at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth SciencesSedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, opened in 1904, is the geology museum of the University of Cambridge in England. It is part of the Department of Earth Sciences and is located on the University's Downing Site in Downing Street, central Cambridge, England.The Sedgwick has a collection of more...
in Cambridge . The archive comprises notebooks, sketchbooks, and photograph albums detailing geological excursions in the U.K from the late nineteenth century. These mostly cover the Isle of Skye, Isle of Arran, Yorkshire (Scarborough), and other Scottish Highlands. There are also notebooks detailing specimens collected (catalogues), lecture note drafts, maps, and some personal records including details of an 80th birthday event. A collection level description is available on the Archives Hub
Archives Hub
The Archives Hub is a gateway to descriptions of archives for education and research. It represents archives held in UK universities, colleges and other institutions. It holds over 20,000 collection level descriptions of archives on all manner of subjects, and also has thousands of descriptions of...
Works
- Petrology for Students, 1895, Cambridge University Press
- The Tertiary Igneous Rocks of Skye, 1904, Geological Survey of Scotland Memoir
- The Natural History of Igneous Rocks, 1909, Macmillan