William Harper Twelvetrees (1848 – 7 November 1919) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

who was important for the characterisation of the geology of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Twelvetrees was born in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

, England, in 1848, to industrialist Harper Twelvetrees and Mary Hubbard. He was educated in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. From 1871 to 1880 he was employed at copper mines in eastern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, and from 1882 to 1890 at the Lidjessi silver-lead mines in Asia Minor, of which he was general manager from 1884. He went to Tasmania in 1890 and followed various occupations until August 1899, when he was appointed Tasmanian government geologist and chief inspector of mines. He was a joint author of a number of articles and books about western Tasmanian geology, including with

William Frederick Petterd William Frederick Petterd was a Tasmanian scientist and boot importer. He was born in Hobart in 1849, and died in Launceston in 1910. His first book, ''A Monograph of the land shells of Tasmania'', was the result of a talk to the Royal Society ...

. In 1914 the office of chief inspector of mines was made a separate one, but Twelvetrees continued to act as government geologist and director of the geological survey of Tasmania until his death. He worked with energy and enthusiasm and his department grew in size and importance. He also interested himself in the Launceston Museum, which was extended so that the excellent geological survey collection of specimens could be housed. He died at Launceston after a short illness on 7 November 1919. He was married twice: to Mary Adelaide Austin, who died on 11 July 1899, and then to Sarah Elvin Genders, who survived him. He was awarded the

Clarke Medal The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, for distinguished work in the Natural sciences. The medal is named in honour of the Reverend William Branw ...

of the Royal Society of New South Wales in 1912. His writing in the bulletins of the Tasmanian geological survey and other publications, occurred at a very busy time in the

West Coast, Tasmania The West Coast of Tasmania is mainly isolated rough country, associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history of Van Diemen's Land, and contrasts sharply with the ...

region's mining history, which has not been repeated since.

Example of reports

*Twelvetrees, W.H. (1903), The Progress of the Mineral Industry of Tasmania for the Quarter Ending 31 December 1902. *Twelvetrees, W.H. (1905), The Progress of the Mineral Industry of Tasmania for the Quarter Ending 31 December 1904.

Example of reports

Notes

References

Further reading