Francis Parker Shepard
Encyclopedia
Francis Parker Shepard was an American
sedimentologist
most associated with his studies of submarine canyon
s and seafloor currents
around continental shelves
and slopes.
Shepard was born to a moderately wealthy family in Marbleheard
, Massachusetts
. He studied geology
under R. A. Daly
at Harvard University
, a period that was interrupted by service in the US Navy during the First World War. After meeting his future wife, Elizabeth Buchner, he chose to study for his doctorate
at the University of Chicago
, close to her Milwaukee home. There he worked alongside J. Harlan Bretz, Rollin D. Salisbury
and Rollin T. Chamberlin (son of Thomas Chamberlin
) on the structural geology
of the Rocky Mountains
, receiving his degree in 1922.
A fortuitous spell using a yacht
belonging to his father, the head of Shepard Steamship Line, turned Shepard in the direction of marine
geology. Examining the distribution of sediments on the New England
shelf, he found evidence of the role of sea level
change in the evolution of shelves. After a sabbatical in 1933 spent studying submarine canyons off the coast of California
, Shepard took leave from Chicago and moved his family and two of his graduate students, Robert S. Dietz
and Kenneth O. Emery, to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
in La Jolla. There his work focused on the shelves off California and the Gulf of California
, and the processes that shaped them. Submarine canyons, he suggested, were initially carved by river
s when sea levels were lower during the recent Pleistocene
epoch
.
In the Second World War, Shepard again worked for the US Navy, where his expertise and knowledge of seafloors was used to assist submarine
operations. After the war, Shepard became director of an American Petroleum Institute
project, studying sedimentation in the northern Gulf of Mexico
between 1951 and 1960 (API Project 51). Although officially retiring in 1966, Shepard continued to work, even after illness had forced him to remain at home.
During his career Shepard received both the Wollaston Medal
from the Geological Society of London
(1966) and the Sorby Medal from the International Association of Sedimentologists (1978). Since 1967, the Society for Sedimentary Geology
have awarded the Francis P. Shepard Medal for Marine Geology in recognition of "Excellence in Marine Geology".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sedimentologist
Sedimentology
Sedimentology encompasses the study of modern sediments such as sand, mud , and clay, and the processes that result in their deposition. Sedimentologists apply their understanding of modern processes to interpret geologic history through observations of sedimentary rocks and sedimentary...
most associated with his studies of submarine canyon
Submarine canyon
A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley on the sea floor of the continental slope. Many submarine canyons are found as extensions to large rivers; however there are some that have no such association. Canyons cutting the continental slopes have been found at depths greater than 2 km below sea...
s and seafloor currents
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
around continental shelves
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
and slopes.
Shepard was born to a moderately wealthy family in Marbleheard
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He studied geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
under R. A. Daly
Reginald Aldworth Daly
-External links:* Daly′s Biography, American Geophysical Union* GSA Today, vol. 16, no. 2, 2006* National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 36 pp., 1960...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, a period that was interrupted by service in the US Navy during the First World War. After meeting his future wife, Elizabeth Buchner, he chose to study for his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, close to her Milwaukee home. There he worked alongside J. Harlan Bretz, Rollin D. Salisbury
Rollin D. Salisbury
Rollin Daniel Salisbury was an American geologist and educator.-Biography:Salisbury was born at Spring Prairie, Wisconsin in 1858. He studied at Whitewater State Normal School in Whitewater, Wisconsin, graduating in 1877 after completing the four-year course in just two-and-one-half years...
and Rollin T. Chamberlin (son of Thomas Chamberlin
Thomas Chamberlin
Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin was an influential American geologist and educator. In 1893 he founded the Journal of Geology, of which he was editor for many years.-Biography:...
) on the structural geology
Structural geology
Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation in the rocks, and...
of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, receiving his degree in 1922.
A fortuitous spell using a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
belonging to his father, the head of Shepard Steamship Line, turned Shepard in the direction of marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
geology. Examining the distribution of sediments on the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
shelf, he found evidence of the role of sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
change in the evolution of shelves. After a sabbatical in 1933 spent studying submarine canyons off the coast of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Shepard took leave from Chicago and moved his family and two of his graduate students, Robert S. Dietz
Robert S. Dietz
Robert Sinclair Dietz was Professor of Geology at Arizona State University. Dietz was a marine geologist, geophysicist and oceanographer who conducted pioneering research along with Harry Hammond Hess concerning seafloor spreading, published as early as 1960–1961...
and Kenneth O. Emery, to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
in La Jolla. There his work focused on the shelves off California and the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
, and the processes that shaped them. Submarine canyons, he suggested, were initially carved by river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s when sea levels were lower during the recent Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch
Epoch (geology)
An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale based on rock layering. In order, the higher subdivisions are periods, eras and eons. We are currently living in the Holocene epoch...
.
In the Second World War, Shepard again worked for the US Navy, where his expertise and knowledge of seafloors was used to assist submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
operations. After the war, Shepard became director of an American Petroleum Institute
American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the largest U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry...
project, studying sedimentation in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
between 1951 and 1960 (API Project 51). Although officially retiring in 1966, Shepard continued to work, even after illness had forced him to remain at home.
During his career Shepard received both the Wollaston Medal
Wollaston Medal
The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London.The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831...
from the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
(1966) and the Sorby Medal from the International Association of Sedimentologists (1978). Since 1967, the Society for Sedimentary Geology
Society for Sedimentary Geology
The Society for Sedimentary Geology is an international not-for-profit, scientific society based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is commonly referred to by its acronym SEPM, which refers to its former name, the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists.The Society’s reason for being is to...
have awarded the Francis P. Shepard Medal for Marine Geology in recognition of "Excellence in Marine Geology".
External links
- Biographical entry (Scripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
) - Biographical entry (Geological Society of AmericaGeological Society of AmericaThe Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose...
) - Biographical entry (Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
) - Wollaston Medal winners (Geological Society of London)
- Sorby Medal winners (International Association of Sedimentologists)
- Francis P. Shepard Medal for Marine Geology and winners (Society for Sedimentary Geology)