Basil Charles King (1915–1985) was a British geologist and author. He won the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

’s

Bigsby Medal The Bigsby Medal is a medal of the Geological Society of London established by John Jeremiah Bigsby. It is awarded for the study of American geology. Recipients SourcThe Geological Society See also * List of geology awards * Prizes named after ...

for 1959.

Life

King was educated at

King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds King Edward VI School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The school in its present form was created in 1972 by the merging of King Edward VI Grammar School, with the Silver Jubilee Girls Scho ...

. He studied geology at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, graduating in 1936 with first-class honours. He then worked as a demonstrator at Bedford College before moving to Africa as a member of the Uganda Geology Survey. He eventually returned to the United Kingdom as senior lecturer at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He began lecturing in geology at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and later received a professorship at

Bedford College, London file:Bedford College in York place - photographer is unknown but guess 1908.png, Bedford College was in York Place after 1874 Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for education of women, women in th ...

in 1956. In 1950 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

Neville George Thomas Neville George FRS FRSE LLD (13 May 1904 – 18 June 1980) was a Welsh geologist. He was president of the Geological Society of London. Life Thomas Neville George was born in the Morriston district of Swansea, the son of Thomas Rupert Ge ...

, John Weir, George Walter Tyrrell, and

Arthur Holmes Arthur Holmes (14 January 1890 – 20 September 1965) was an English geologist who made two major contributions to the understanding of geology. He pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals, and was the first earth scientist to grasp ...

. He became a member of the

in 1949. His health failing, King retired and moved to Arran. He died on 11 September 1985.

Family

He was married to Dorothy Margaret Wells in 1939.

Publications

*''The Geology of the

Osi OSI may refer to: Places * Osijek Airport (IATA code: OSI), an airport in Croatia * Ősi, a village in Veszprém county, Hungary * Oši, an archaeological site in Semigallia, Latvia * Osi, a village in Ido-Osi, Ekiti State, Nigeria * Osi, Ekiti ...

Area'' (1949) *''The

Napak Napak is a town in Northern Uganda. It is the commercial, administrative and municipal headquarters of Napak District. The district is named after the town. Location The town is situated approximately , southwest of Moroto, the largest town in K ...

Area of Southern

Karamoja Karamoja sub-region, commonly known as Karamoja, is a region in Uganda. It covers an area of 27,528km and comprises Kotido District, Kaabong District, Karenga District, Nabilatuk District Abim District, Moroto District, Napak District, Amu ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

'' (1949) *''The Form of Beinn an Dubhaich Granite on Skye'' (1960) *''The History of the Alkaline Volcanoes and Intrusive Complexes of Eastern

and Western

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

'' (1969) co-written with Michael John Le Bas and Diana Stephanie Sutherland

References

1915 births 1985 deaths 20th-century British geologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham 20th-century non-fiction writers {{UK-geologist-stub