Francis John Turner (10 April 1904 – 21 December 1985) was a New Zealand

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

. He received his

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

and MSc from the

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. He worked with the New Zealand Geological Survey and in 1926 he became a geology lecturer in the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

. At Otago he became interested in

metamorphism Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock (the protolith) to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of , and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chem ...

and studied the unexplored

metamorphic rocks Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

of South Island on which he earned his PhD in 1934 from the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

. His application and expansion of

Pentti Eskola Pentti Elias Eskola (8 January 1883 – 6 December 1964) was a Finnish geologist who specialised in the petrology of granites and developed the concept of metamorphic facies. He won the Wollaston Medal in 1958, the Vetlesen Prize in 1964, a ...

's concept of

metamorphic facies A metamorphic facies is a set of mineral assemblages in metamorphic rocks formed under similar pressures and temperatures.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak The assemblage is typical of what is formed in conditions corresponding ...

led to his publication of ''Mineralogical and Structural Evolution of Metamorphic Rocks'', the book that established his position in the field of

petrology Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly taught together ...

and was a great influence on a generation of geologists. In 1946 he accepted a position at the

University of California in Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

. At Berkeley he gained insight into experimental studies of petrology and geochemistry. He later collaborated with

John Verhoogen John Verhoogen (born Jean Verhoogen, 1 February 1912, Brussels – 8 November 1993) was a Belgian-American geologist and geophysicist. Verhoogen became ill at age 17 from poliomyelitis, which caused him problems throughout the rest of his life. Nev ...

on the classic work ''Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology'' published in 1960. He authored eighty technical papers and six textbooks on metamorphic, igneous, and structural petrology. He retired from Berkeley in 1971.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Frances John 1904 births 1985 deaths Petrologists 20th-century New Zealand geologists University of Auckland alumni University of Otago faculty Lyell Medal winners