Geoffrey Hattersley-Smith
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Francis Hattersley-Smith D.Phil
, FRSC
, FAINA (1923-) is an English
born geologist
and glaciologist
. He attended Winchester College
in Hampshire
and graduated from New College
, Oxford
.
From 1948-1950 he was the base leader for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey
(now the British Antarctic Survey) on King George Island
.
In 1951 he became a staff member with the Canadian
Defence Research Board (DRB) (now part of the Department of National Defence
. With the DRB he was part of several expeditions to places such as the Saint Elias Mountains
in the Yukon
and Cornwallis Island
, Northwest Territories
(now Nunavut
). From 1953-1954 he led the joint Canada-United States
expedition to Ellesmere Island
. In 1956 he received a Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford for his work on Ellesmere's glaciers.
In 1957 he began 16 years of research on Ellesmere Island. As part of the International Geophysical Year
(1957-1958) he went to Lake Hazen
and until 1973 worked either there or at Ward Hunt Island
. In 1963 he set up a camp and conducted field research at Tanquary Fiord
. The teams that he led named over 50 features on Ellesmere Island, such as Barbeau Peak
, the highest mountain on the island and Turnabout River
. In 1961 he became the first person to climb Mount Whisler
, second highest peak on Ellesmere, and on 5 June 1967 led the second team to reach the top of Barbeau Peak that day.
He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada
in 1970 and in 1973 he retired as head of the DRB's Geotechnical Section and returned to England.
After returning to England he re-joined the British Antarctic Survey and was the secretary of the Antarctic Place-names Committee for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
in London
. In 1984 the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
named Cape Hattersley-Smith
after him.
In 1990 Hattersley-Smith retired to Kent
.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, FRSC
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, FAINA (1923-) is an English
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...
born geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and glaciologist
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
. He attended Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and graduated from New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
From 1948-1950 he was the base leader for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey
British Antarctic Survey
The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica....
(now the British Antarctic Survey) on King George Island
King George Island
King George Island is the largest of the South Shetland Islands, situated at , off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. The Island was named after King George III...
.
In 1951 he became a staff member with the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Defence Research Board (DRB) (now part of the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
. With the DRB he was part of several expeditions to places such as the Saint Elias Mountains
Saint Elias Mountains
The Saint Elias Mountains are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in southeastern Alaska in the United States, southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada. The range spans Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the USA and Kluane...
in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
and Cornwallis Island
Cornwallis Island
Cornwallis Island may refer to:* Cornwallis Island , Canada* Cornwallis Island , Australia* Cornwallis Island , South Shetland Islands...
, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
(now Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
). From 1953-1954 he led the joint Canada-United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
expedition to Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
. In 1956 he received a Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford for his work on Ellesmere's glaciers.
In 1957 he began 16 years of research on Ellesmere Island. As part of the International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
(1957-1958) he went to Lake Hazen
Lake Hazen
Lake Hazen is often called the northernmost lake of Canada, in the northern part of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, but detailed maps show several smaller lakes up to more than farther north on Canada's northernmost island. Turnabout Lake is immediately northeast of the northern end of Hazen lake...
and until 1973 worked either there or at Ward Hunt Island
Ward Hunt Island
Ward Hunt Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Arctic Ocean, off the north coast of Ellesmere Island. Its northern cape is one of the northernmost elements of land in Canada. Only a 17 km stretch of northern coast of Ellesmere Island around Cape Columbia is more northerly. The island...
. In 1963 he set up a camp and conducted field research at Tanquary Fiord
Tanquary Fiord
Tanquary Fiord is a fjord on the north coast of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago's Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Quttinirpaaq National Park and extends 30 miles in a north-westerly direction.- History :...
. The teams that he led named over 50 features on Ellesmere Island, such as Barbeau Peak
Barbeau Peak
Barbeau Peak is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Located on Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park, it is the highest mountain in Nunavut, and the highest in eastern North America . The mountain was named in 1969 for Dr...
, the highest mountain on the island and Turnabout River
Turnabout River
The Turnabout River is located on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. It drains both Turnabout Lake and Turnabout Glacier into Lake Hazen.The river, the lake and Turnabout Glacier were named in 1957-58 during the International Geophysical Year by the Hazen Camp party directed by Geoffrey...
. In 1961 he became the first person to climb Mount Whisler
Mount Whisler
Mount Whisler is a mountain of the British Empire Range on Canada's Ellesmere Island. It is the second highest peak of the British Empire Range, of Ellesmere Island, and of the Arctic Cordillera. It is located about northeast of Barbeau Peak , the highest peak in the Cordillera...
, second highest peak on Ellesmere, and on 5 June 1967 led the second team to reach the top of Barbeau Peak that day.
He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
in 1970 and in 1973 he retired as head of the DRB's Geotechnical Section and returned to England.
After returning to England he re-joined the British Antarctic Survey and was the secretary of the Antarctic Place-names Committee for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1984 the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending names for features in Antarctica...
named Cape Hattersley-Smith
Cape Hattersley-Smith
Cape Hattersley-Smith is a cape marked by a triangular rock peak at the southeast end of Condor Peninsula, 5 nautical miles southwest of Cape Knowles, on the Black Coast, Palmer Land. The cape was photographed from the air by the United States Antarctic Service on December 30, 1940...
after him.
In 1990 Hattersley-Smith retired to Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.