Nelson Horatio Darton was a geologist

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

 who worked for the United States Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

. He was born in Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, and started working in his uncle's drug

Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...

 business at the age of 13, also becoming a practicing chemist

Chemist

A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...

. His interest in geology started as a sideline, and he was hired by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1886.

Darton was an expert at geological photography, a noted geologic map

Geologic map

A geologic map or geological map is a special-purpose map made to show geological features. Rock units or geologic strata are shown by color or symbols to indicate where they are exposed at the surface...

 maker, and a hydrogeologist

Hydrogeology

Hydrogeology is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust, . The term geohydrology is often used interchangeably...

. He was awarded the Penrose Medal

Penrose Medal

The Penrose Medal was created in 1927 by R.A.F. Penrose, Jr. as the top prize awarded by the Geological Society of America to those who advance the study of geoscience.-Award winners:* 2011 Paul F. Hoffman* 2010 Eric J. Essene* 2009 B. Clark Burchfiel...

 in 1940. He also made some important paleontological

Paleontology

Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...

 discoveries.

He retired in 1936 at the age of 71 but was allowed to keep his office at the USGS, and he continued an active geological career with a focus on the geology of the Washington DC area. He produced more than 200 publications and received many honors and awards. Three weeks before he died in 1948, he was still coming daily to the USGS and gave a lecture to the Geological Society of Washington on the geology of the DC area.

Publications

• Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 32(1905)
• Geology of the Owl Creek Mountains, with notes on resources of adjoining regions in the ceded portion of the Shoshone Indian Reservation, Wyoming United States 59th Congress, Senate Document no. 219, (1906)
• Description of Bald Mountain and Dayton quadrangles, Wyoming U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Atlas, folio 141 (1906)
• Description of Cloud Peak and Fort McKinney quadrangles, Wyoming U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Atlas, folio 142 (1906)
• Geology of the Bighorn Mountains U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 51 (1906)
• Geology and underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 52 (1906)
• Paleozoic and Mesozoic of central Wyoming:. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 19, p. 403–470 (1908)
• Geology and water resources of the northern portion of the Black Hills and adjoining regions in South Dakota and Wyoming U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 65 (1909)
• Description of the Laramie and Sherman quadrangles, Wyoming with E. Blackwelder, and C.E. Siebenthal U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Atlas, folio 173 (1910)
• Description of the central Black Hills, South Dakota with S. Paige U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Atlas, folio 219 (1925)