Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
that Maggie did not enjoy university life: the lunch parties, the
afternoon calls, and the expectations of a professor's wife did
not sit well with her. Without a university education herself she
felt out of her depth in this academic environment, unable to
converse at their level, and she greatly missed having her family
close by. Consequently, during their seven years in Durham, her
relationship with Arthur had become very strained. Although
they 'kept up appearances' as one did in those days, the mar-
riage was not a happy one any more.
When Holmes and Dunham arrived at the hotel in
Ardnamurchan it was to find a large group of people gathered
from geology departments all over Britain. Many of them
were either already, or were to become, great names in British
geology, and amongst their number was Doris Reynolds, one of
the very few women active in geology at that time. Doris was a
lecturer at University College in London and already making
quite a name for herself in petrology - the study of the origin
and composition of rocks. An extremely boisterous and vocal
woman in her early thirties with a large face and unruly hair
tucked under a beret, she had strong opinions on absolutely
everything, especially geology. She polarised people into loving
or hating her, and her quick intelligence did not su¬er fools.
Doris would have known intimately the published works of
Arthur Holmes, particularly the two topics he had written on
petrology, the second editions of which had just been published,
and his work on the volcanoes of Mozambique, which were of
the same age geologically as Ardnamurchan. Holmes' opinion
on many of the features they observed on the volcano would have
been sought with some deference by Richey, thus making
Holmes one of the leading figures in the group. Doris too would
have been unable to resist vocalising her opinions on what
they saw, so inevitably she and Holmes would have fallen into
conversation discussing the merits of Richey's interpretation.
Back at the hotel later that evening, there was little to do in
such a remote place but talk, and when geologists get together,
