Sedimentologists: John Murray (1841–1914) and the Challenger expedition

Middleton, Gerard V.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_201

Sedimentologists: John Murray (1841–1914) and the Challenger expedition

Gerard V. Middleton⁶

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First Online: 01 January 2013

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

The voyage of HMS Challenger (1872–1876) was a major event in the history of oceanography and in the knowledge of the deep sea. It was initiated and led by C. Wyville Thomson, but after his stroke he was forced to resign the Directorship, and turn over the publication of the results to John Murray. Murray oversaw the publication of 50 volumes in the years from 1880 to 1895: five of the volumes he coauthored himself, including one on the Deep-sea Deposits (1891).

John Murray was born in Cobourg, Ontario and attended school there until 1868, when he moved to Scotland, living with his grandfather, and attending Stirling High School, and then the University of Edinburgh. Though it was originally intended that he should become a medical doctor, he followed an irregular course of study, earning himself a reputation as a “chronic student,” and never graduated. Besides some medical courses, he studied physics with Tait, and geology with Geikie. He also participated in a voyage to Spitsbergen,...

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Bibliography

Burstyn, H.L., 1981. Murray, John. In Gillispie, C.C. (ed.), Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, Volume 9, pp. 588–590.
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Herdman, Sir, W.A., 1923. Founders of Oceanography and Their Work. New York: Longman, Green.
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Linklater, E., 1972. The Voyage of the Challenger. London: John Murray.
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Oceanic Sediments Sedimentology, History

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Authors and Affiliations

School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, 1280 Main West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada
Gerard V. Middleton

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Gerard V. Middleton
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Editors and Affiliations

School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
Gerard V. Middleton
Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T IZ2, Canada
Michael J. Church
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G I, Canada
Mario Coniglio
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
Lawrence A. Hardie
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
Frederick J. Longstaffe

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Middleton, G.V. (1978). Sedimentologists: John Murray (1841–1914) and the Challenger expedition. In: Middleton, G.V., Church, M.J., Coniglio, M., Hardie, L.A., Longstaffe, F.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_201

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_201
Published: 28 February 2013
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-0872-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3609-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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