Trevor David Ford, OBE (19 April 1925 – 22 February 2017) was an English

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 ...

, specialising in

speleology Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...

, and an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. He was a Senior Lecturer in the Geology Department of the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

, and also Associate Dean of Science. He served in WWII as a Stores Assistant in the Navy. Ford made a detailed study of

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

rocks and

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s, and was instrumental in the recognition of the Precambrian fossil ''

Charnia masoni ''Charnia'' is a genus of frond-like lifeforms belonging to the Ediacaran biota with segmented, leaf-like ridges branching alternately to the right and left from a zig-zag medial suture (thus exhibiting glide reflection, or opposite isometry). ...

'', discovered in

Charnwood Forest Charnwood Forest is a hilly tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; i ...

by Roger Mason. In doing so, he was honoured by having the species of the genus

Hylaecullulus ''Hylaecullulus fordi'' is a species of Ediacaran petalonamid from the Charnwood Forest of Leicestershire, England that serves as an important rangeomorph because of its multifoliate anatomy, known from its fossils. Its overall body plan is si ...

be named after him, with the species being described with the name ''Hylaecullulus fordi''. He wrote several popular introductions to

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

geology, a definitive study of the local fluorite Blue John, as well as numerous cave guides. He served as the editor of ''Transactions of the British Cave Research Association'', renamed ''Cave Science'' (later '' Cave & Karst Science''), from 1973 until 1993. Ford was awarded the OBE in 1997 for services to geology and cave science. He was a Distinguished Life Vice President of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. He died on 22 February 2017.Trevor David Ford 1925 - 2017
. ''The Geological Society of London''. Retrieved 1 November 2017.

Selected publications

Books *Ford TD. ''Rocks and Scenery of the Peak District'' (Landmark Publishing; 2002) () *Ford TD, Rieuwerts JH, eds. ''Lead Mining in the Peak District'' (Ashbourne and Landmark Publishing for the Peak District Mines Historical Society; 2000) (4th edn) () *Ford TD. ''Derbyshire Blue John'' (Landmark Publishing; 2000) () *Ford TD, ed. ''Limestones and Caves of Wales'' (Cambridge University Press; 1989) () *Ford TD, Gill DW. ''Caves of Derbyshire'' (Dalesman; 1984) () *Ford TD, ed. ''Limestones and Caves of the Peak District'' (Geo-Books; 1977) Pamphlets *Ford T. ''Sediments in Caves''; ''BCRA Cave Studies Series'' 9 (BCRA; 2001) () *Gunn J, Ford T. ''Caves and Karst of the Peak District''; ''BCRA Cave Studies Series'' 3 (BCRA; 1992) () Research papers *Vidal G, Ford TD (1985). Microbiotas from the late proterozoic chuar group (northern Arizona) and uinta mountain group (Utah) and their chronostratigraphic implications. ''

Precambrian Research ''Precambrian Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the geology of the Earth and its planetary neighbors. It is published by Elsevier and, , the editors-in-chief are V. Pease (Stockholm University) and G.C. Zhao (University of H ...

'' 28: 349–89 *Schopf JW, Ford TD, Breed WJ (1973). Microorganisms from the Late Precambrian of the Grand Canyon, Arizona. ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

'' 179: 1319–21 *Ford TD (1958). Pre-Cambrian fossils from Charnwood Forest. '' Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society'', 31: 211–217

References

British speleologists English geologists Academics of the University of Leicester 1925 births 2017 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-geologist-stub