Vincent Ellis McKelvey (April 6, 1916 – January 23, 1987) was an American
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, althoug ...
and earth scientist. Recognized as an international authority on deep-sea mineral deposits, he spent 46 years with the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the 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, ...
. From 1968 to 1982, he served as scientific adviser and senior deputy to the United States delegation to the
Law of the Sea Conference of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
, where fellow delegates often depended on his ability to render complex scientific issues into plain English.
He joined the
US Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the 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 ...
, a branch of the
Department of the Interior, in 1941. He was placed in charge of its explorations for
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, was assistant chief geologist for economic and foreign geology by 1962 and was named senior research geologist three years later. McKelvey was named chief geologist of the
Geological Survey
A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying outc ...
in 1971 shortly before he became its ninth director, a post he held through 1977.
![Original McKelvey Diagram published in 1973](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Original_McKelvey_Diagram_published_in_1973.png)
The
McKelvey diagram (or box), a visual representation of
how to classify a particular mineral resource based on the value of its production (economic, marginal, etc.) and the geologic certainty of its presence (measured, inferred, hypothetical, etc.), is named after him.
United States Geological Survey career
In 1971, after
William Thomas Pecora
William Thomas Pecora (February 1, 1913 – July 19, 1972) was an American geologist.
Life and career
Willam Thomas Pecora was born on February 1, 1913, in Belleville, New Jersey, son of Cono and Anna (Amabile) Pecora. Both parents were born in s ...
became Under Secretary of the Interior, Chief Geologist Vincent E. McKelvey, a career scientist with the Survey since 1941, became Director. McKelvey, a graduate of
Syracuse University with a master
and doctorate
degrees from the University of Wisconsin, had served in several research and administrative capacities in the Geological Survey. He was internationally known for his studies of
phosphates
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...
, had headed the Survey's program of exploration and research for the
Atomic Energy Commission for several years, had been deeply involved in sometimes controversial estimates of long-range energy and mineral-resource needs, and had most recently been engaged in studies of seabed resources.
McKelvey's term as Director was marked by an increase in multidisciplinary studies and in the diversity and complexity of
Geological Survey
A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying outc ...
operations, as well as an increased effort to make scientific information acquired through years of research available in a form most easily used in the solution of such contemporary problems. In 1973, the
Geological Survey
A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying outc ...
moved its National Headquarters from downtown
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
to a new building designed expressly for its needs in
Reston, Virginia. It took on primary responsibility for operational research in
seismology
Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...
and
geomagnetism by agreement with the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
, and 10 units of NOAA were transferred to the
Geological Survey
A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying outc ...
.
In 1976, Congress transferred jurisdiction of the Petroleum Reserve in Alaska from the Department of the Navy to the
Department of the Interior, effective June 1, 1977. Responsibility for administration of the continuing petroleum exploration program on the Reserve and operation of the
South Barrow Gas Field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
was delegated to the Director of the
Survey
Survey may refer to:
Statistics and human research
* Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population
* Survey (human research), including opinion polls
Spatial measurement
* Surveying, the techniq ...
. The new activity brought with it a 50-percent increase in funds, but most of the increase was for contractual services.
Forced resignation
McKelvey was a “cornucopian” who believed that availability of natural resources such as oil and gas was limited mainly by the technology used to extract them. But with the election of
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
in 1976, McKelvey found his views out of favor with the administration.
In September 1977, the Assistant Secretary of the Interior Joan Davenport called on McKelvey and asked for his resignation. McKelvey said that he resigned for the good of the USGS, and told reporters that he had been told that secretary
Cecil Andrus
Cecil Dale Andrus (August 25, 1931 – August 24, 2017) was an American politician who served 26th and 28th governor of Idaho, for total of fourteen years. A Democrat, he also served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1977 to 1981 during the ...
wanted to have his own team.
This was the only instance in the history of the USGS that a director was removed because of differences with the presidential administration. Some USGS employees worried that the Survey’s science would become politicized. Newspaper editorials in the Wall Street Journal and other papers defended McKelvey as an outstanding scientist, and criticized the Carter administration’s unprecedented removal of McKelvey as a blow to the scientific independence of the USGS.
From 1978 until his death at his home in
St. Cloud, Florida
St. Cloud is a city in northern Osceola County, Florida, United States. It is on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Central Florida, about southeast of Orlando. The population was 35,183 in the 2010 census, and 54,579 in the 2019 cen ...
, McKelvey continued to work as senior research geologist for the
Geological Survey
A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying outc ...
and also taught at the
Florida Institute of Technology
The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. App ...
during the early 1980s.
Personal life
McKelvey was married to Genevieve Bowman McKelvey. They had one son, Gregory McKelvey.
Awards and honors
* 1963 - Distinguished Service Award,
Department of the Interior[Geophysics: The Leading Edge of Exploration](_blank)
- accessed January 10, 2009
* 1972 - Career Service Award from the National Civil Service League
* 1973 - Rockefeller Public Service Award
* 1975 - Honorary Degree -
Syracuse University
* 1977 - Special Award for Meritorious Service from the
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with more than 40,000 members across 129 countries as of 2021. The AAPG works to "advance the science of geology, especially as ...
* 1977 - Distinguished Public Service Award from the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
* 1978 - 6,680-foot-high peak in the
Thiel Mountains
The Thiel Mountains are an isolated, mainly snow-capped mountain range of the Transantarctic Mountains System, located in the Ellsworth Land region of Antarctica.
The mountain range is long, and is located roughly between the Horlick Mountai ...
of
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
was named for him by the
Interior Department
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
's
Board on Geographic names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal govern ...
* 1979 - Human Needs Award from the
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with more than 40,000 members across 129 countries as of 2021. The AAPG works to "advance the science of geology, especially as ...
* Honorary Degree -
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (South Dakota Mines, SD Mines, or SDSM&T) is a public university in Rapid City, South Dakota. It is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and was founded in 1885. South Dakota Mines offers ba ...
* There is an annual scientific symposium in his honor, the V.E. McKelvey Forum on Mineral and Energy Resources
* A building on the
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...
campus of the
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the 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, a ...
is named in his honor
* The mineral species
mckelveyite-(Y) (originally named simply mckelveyite) is named in his honor and for his studies of the Phosphoria Formation of Wyoming and Idaho.
Publications
* "Subsea mineral resources
US Geological Survey bulletin No. 1689-A(1986)
* McKelvey, V. E. and Nancy A. Wright and Roger W. Bowen, "Analysis of the world distribution of metal-rich subsea manganese nodules
US Geological Survey Circular No. 886 1983.
* "Investigations needed to stimulate the development of Jordan's mineral resources" US Geological Survey Open-file Report No. 79-1569. 1979
* "The collected speeches of Dr. V. E. McKelvey, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, 1971-1977" US Geological Survey, 1978
* "The oceans : the national and international policy frontier" Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1976.
* "Subsea mineral resources and problems related to their development
US Geological Survey Circular No. 619 1969.
* "Search for uranium in the United States" US Geological Survey and the US Atomic Energy Commission
Trace elements investigations report No. 476 1954
* "Search for uranium in the United States
US Geological Survey bulletin No. 1030-A 1955
* "Search for uranium in western United States" US Geological Survey and the US Atomic Energy Commission
Trace elements investigations report No. 199 1953
References
External links
Portrait of Vincent McKelveyfrom
U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the 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 ...
Museum Collection
Two photographs of Vincent E. McKelveyfrom U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library
Photograph of Vincent E. McKelveyfrom U.S. Geological Survey History
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKelvey, Vincent Ellis
20th-century American geologists
1916 births
1987 deaths
United States Geological Survey personnel
People from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
People from St. Cloud, Florida
Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni