Joseph Barrell
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Joseph Barrell (December 15, 1869 – May 4, 1919) 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 ...
who developed many ideas on the origins of the Earth,
isostasy Isostasy (Greek ''ísos'' "equal", ''stásis'' "standstill") or isostatic equilibrium is the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust (or lithosphere) and mantle such that the crust "floats" at an elevation that depends on its ...
and ideas on the origins of sedimentary rocks. He suggested that they were produced by the action of
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
s,
wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...
s, and
ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...
(continental), as well as by marine
sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...
. He also independently arrived at the theory of stoping as a mechanism for
igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or ...
intrusion. He was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
in 1915.


Life and career

The Barrell family originated from a family that migrated from Suffolk in Britain to Boston in 1637. Joseph was born at New Providence on December 15, 1869. His father Henry Ferdinand and his mother Elizabeth née Wisner, of Swiss descent, had owned a farm in Warwick, Orange County, New York before moving to a new farm in New Jersey. Henry Ferdinand was a trustee at the local public library and for the public school and Joseph, the fifth of nine children, grew up in a home surrounded by books. He took a great deal of interest in natural history and astronomy. Joseph went to the local public school until the age of sixteen. he then earned some money teaching at school and later joined Stevens Preparatory School at
Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...
before moving to
Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...
in 1888. He graduated there and continued studies leading to an MS in 1897. He joined work in the University as an instructor in mining and metallurgy. Barrell taught Geology at Lehigh for three years. He spent a summer in Europe with Herbert E. Gregory and Charles Hyde Warren, travelling on foot, bicycle and third-class trains so as to be able to observe the land and geology with little interest in cities. He married Lena Hopper Bailey in 1902, and in 1903 he was invited by
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
to develop a course in structural geology. Most of Barrell's key contributions to geology were possible during his time at Yale.


Contributions to geology

Some of Barrell's early work was in applied geology, dealing with the problems of measuring and estimating coal yields in the Lehigh Valley Coal Company (1894). He also worked with the United States Geological Survey to study the Elkhorn Mining District of Montana (1899). Some of the work done here became part of his doctoral dissertation. In 1900 he again worked with the USGS and produced a study ''"Geology of the Marysville Mining District, Montana: a Study of Igneous Intrusions and Contact Metamorphism."'' The study of rock metamorphism became a major interest and in 1914 he wrote about the ''"Relations of Subjacent Igneous Invasions to Regional Metamorphism."'' Another major advance he made was in the production of marine sediments and his ideas on how to determine ancient shore lines. Another area that he took an interest in was in the origin of the earth. He examined the theories of Chamberlin–Moulton planetesimal hypothesis and questioned the idea that
planetesimal Planetesimals are solid objects thought to exist in protoplanetary disks and debris disks. Per the Chamberlin–Moulton planetesimal hypothesis, they are believed to form out of cosmic dust grains. Believed to have formed in the Solar System a ...
s grew by very gradual accretion of dust. Barrell suggested that most of the finer sediment on the surface of the earth or under the ocean had been produced by weathering. Barrell's approach to scientific questions was to collect all evidence, generate multiple hypotheses and argue through all hypotheses to look for consistency or the lack of it in explaining other observations. An example of his original thinking was in his examination of the evolution of air-breathing in fishes in the light of evidence for climatic and environmental changes.


References


External links


Geology of the Marysville mining district, Montana (1907)Central Connecticut in the geologic past (1915)The strength of the earths crust (1914-15)The_evolution_of_the_earth_and_its_inhabitants;_a_series_delivered_before_the_Yale_chapter_of_the_Sigma_Xi
_during_the_academic_year_1916-1917_(1918).html" ;"title="Sigma Xi">The evolution of the earth and its inhabitants; a series delivered before the Yale chapter of the Sigma Xi
during the academic year 1916-1917 (1918)">Sigma Xi">The evolution of the earth and its inhabitants; a series delivered before the Yale chapter of the Sigma Xi
during the academic year 1916-1917 (1918) {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrell, Joseph 1869 births 1919 deaths American geologists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences