(1890-1980) American Petrologist
Arthur Buddington is a geologist famous for his work with the geochemistry and classification of rocks and minerals, as well as ore deposits. His research was based on his perceptive observations during the field mapping of geologic terranes that vary considerably. Buddington may be best known for classification of anorthosites, which are igneous rocks composed mainly of the mineral plagioclase feldspar. He defined a Grenville type (approximately 2 billion years of age) that can be formed in one of two ways. Anorthosites can intrude up into the ground in huge crystalline masses or by the formation of crystals which settle out within layers of gabbro-based complexes. These two types were based on his fieldwork in the Grenville terrain of the Adirondacks and his observations on the Stillwater Complex of Montana. This work is summarized in a 1970 volume entitled The Origin of Anorthosites and Related Rocks, published by the New York State Museum. In a 1959 paper, Buddington proposed a system for the origin of various igneous intrusive rocks based upon the depth at which they were formed. He devised this system which would have to wait for the advent of plate tectonics to be fully appreciated based upon observations in Newfoundland, the Alaska Coast Ranges, the Adirondack Mountains, and the Stillwater Complex of Montana.
Arthur Buddington was also involved in economic geology. During his field studies of shallow intrusive igneous rocks of the Oregon Cascades and their related iron ores he defined a class of iron ore deposits he termed “xenothermal” which means shallow depth and high temperature. It was originally believed that the temperature during the ore formation and the depth at which they were formed correspondingly affected one another. Buddington’s research on this class of iron ores showed that this was not the case. He also conducted research on iron ore deposits in New York and New Jersey. With DONALD H. LINDSLEY, Buddington completed research that contributed to the development of advanced geothermometers and oxygen activity-meters through large amounts of data he collected during many studies on mag-netite-hematite-ilmenite ore deposits of the Adirondack region.
Perhaps the main contribution of Budding-ton to geology was his administrative and organizational skills. He enticed NORMAN L. BOWEN to give a series of lectures at Princeton University in the mid-1920s and then to write them up in the famous Evolution of the Igneous Rocks. He also was a major positive influence on his many students. Two of these students included HARRY H. HESS and J. TUZO WILSON, who contributed greatly to the theory of plate tectonics. It was mainly through Buddington’s influence that Hess would lead his illustrious career at Princeton University.
Arthur Buddington was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 29, 1890, to parents who operated a small poultry and produce farm. He attended elementary and junior high school in Wilmington and in Mystic, Connecticut, and graduated from Westerly High School, Rhode Island, in 1908. Buddington attended Brown University, Rhode Island, and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in geology second in his class in 1912. He continued his graduate studies at Brown University and earned a master of science degree in 1913. He switched to Princeton University, New Jersey, for the rest of his graduate studies and received his Ph.D. in geology in 1916. He remained at Princeton University on a postdoctoral fellowship until he accepted a teaching position at Brown in 1917. In 1918, he enlisted in the army and worked in the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. After the war ended, Buddington returned to Brown University, but quickly accepted an appointment to the Geophysical Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C., in 1919. He finally joined the faculty at his alma mater of Princeton University in 1920, and remained for the rest of his career. Arthur Buddington married Jene Elizabeth Muntz of David City, Nebraska, in 1924. They had one child. During this time he worked with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1930 and from 1943 on and he served as department chairman from 1936 to 1950. He retired to professor emeritus in 1959 but remained active for many years. Arthur Bud-dington died on December 25, 1980; his wife had predeceased him five years earlier.
Arthur Buddington was an author of some 70 scientific articles in international journals, professional volumes, and governmental reports. The most impressive aspect of them is the tremendous range of subject matter and extraordinary quality. In recognition of these contributions to the science, Buddington received several honors and awards. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received honorary degrees from Brown University, Franklin and Marshall College, and the University of Liege. He also received the Penrose Medal from the Geological Society of America, the Andre Dumont Medal from the Geological Society of Belgium, and the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The mineral budding-tonite was named in his honor.
Buddington was also active in service to the profession. He was president of the Mineralogical Society of America, vice president of the Geological Society of America, and section president of the American Geophysical Union, among service on many other committees and panels. He was also chair of the geology section for the National Academy of Sciences.
