Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
big geological problems lagged far behind the theory, so geol-
ogists in the early part of the twentieth century had become tired
of endlessly discussing questions they were unable to solve.
Holmes' problems with the chemical method of analysing lead
and uranium were a typical example. Theoretically he knew
how
to date rocks back in the 1910s, but he could not actually do it
successfully because it took another thirty years to develop the
mass spectrometer. Consequently, as we have seen, Holmes
pursued the subject almost single-handedly because few others
were interested. No, the things that concerned the geologists of
Britain in the early half of the twentieth century were, for exam-
ple, 'where the Wenlock fitted in' and 'whether the Ludlow
should be at the beginning of the Old Red Sandstone'. These
details of stratigraphy were the big controversies of the time,
because they were questions that could be answered, given
su~cient time in the field looking at rocks. And it made little
di¬erence to stratigraphers whether the Earth was two thousand
or three thousand million years old. But 'Holmes' posed big and
exciting geological questions - How did mountains form? What
caused earthquakes? Did stable continents wander the globe? -
and the Second World War stimulated a revolution in the appli-
cation and availability of sophisticated instruments in both basic
and applied research which enabled some of these questions to
be addressed.
Although Holmes' immediate superiors at Durham University
recognised the excellent work he had done in building up the
geology department out of nothing and so perhaps chose to for-
get, if not forgive, his private misdemeanours - his a¬air with
Doris - he still encountered hostility from the Council that
administrated university a¬airs. Also, gossip endured amongst
the students as each new batch was given the low-down on the
private life of the professor and his wife, no doubt greatly
