Gordon P. Eaton
Encyclopedia
Gordon Pryor Eaton is an American geologist. Eaton was born in Dayton, Ohio
. He currently resides in Reston, Virginia
, with his wife, Virginia. They have two grown children.
, with high Honors, High Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi
recognition, with a B.A. in Geology in 1951; received an M.S. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology
in 1953; and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics
in 1957 from the California Institute of Technology
. At Wesleyan he was a member of the fraternity that later became a chapter of The Kappa Alpha Society
.
On March 24, 1994, Dr. Gordon P. Eaton became the 12th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. From October 1990 to March 1994, he served as the Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
in Palisades, New York
. From 1986 to 1990, Dr. Eaton was President of the Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa
. From 1967 to 1981, he held various positions with the U.S. Geological Survey, including Associate Chief Geologist, Reston, Virginia
and Scientist-in-charge, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
, Hawaii.
Dr. Eaton is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the Geological Society of America
, and the American Geophysical Union
. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and American Men and Women of Science. He was a member of committee on the formation of the National Biological Survey
, National Research Council
. He has also served on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council
.
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. He currently resides in Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
, with his wife, Virginia. They have two grown children.
Life and career
Dr. Eaton graduated from Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, with high Honors, High Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
recognition, with a B.A. in Geology in 1951; received an M.S. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in 1953; and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
in 1957 from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. At Wesleyan he was a member of the fraternity that later became a chapter of The Kappa Alpha Society
Kappa Alpha Society
The Kappa Alpha Society , founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad...
.
On March 24, 1994, Dr. Gordon P. Eaton became the 12th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. From October 1990 to March 1994, he served as the Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in Palisades, New York
Palisades, New York
Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing, is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west of the Hudson River....
. From 1986 to 1990, Dr. Eaton was President of the Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
. From 1967 to 1981, he held various positions with the U.S. Geological Survey, including Associate Chief Geologist, Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
and Scientist-in-charge, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is a volcano observatory located at Uwekahuna Bluff on the rim of Kīlauea Caldera on the Island of Hawaii. The observatory monitors four active Hawaiian volcanoes: Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, and Haleakalā...
, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive volcano...
, Hawaii.
Dr. Eaton is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The 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...
, and the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and American Men and Women of Science. He was a member of committee on the formation of the National Biological Survey
National Biological Information Infrastructure
The National Biological Information Infrastructure is a program coordinated by the United States Geological Survey's Biological Informatics Office within the USGS Biological Resources Discipline...
, National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
. He has also served on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
.
Awards and honors
- Eaton Hall on the campus of Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
is named for Dr. Eaton.
Publications
- Epeirogeny in the Southern Rocky Mountains region; evidence and originGeosphere, vol. 4, no. 5, pp.764–784, Oct 2008
- Once a geologist, always a... the path to a university presidency... and back again The Compass, vol.79, no.1, pp.27–28, 2005
- Disinformation, misinformation, or myths? Geotimes, vol.42, no.8, pp.5, Aug 1997
- The new U. S. Geological Survey; environment, resources, and the future Environmental Geosciences, vol. 4, no. 1, pp.3–10, Mar 1997
- The future of national geological surveys; global challenges, global opportunities Renewable Resources Journal, vol.13, no.2, pp.14–17, 1995
- A tectonic redefinition of the Southern Rocky Mountains Tectonophysics, vol.132, no.1-3, pp.163–193, 15 Dec 1986
- Recommendations for research in determining the probability of mineral occurrence with Robert G. Garrett. U.S. Geological Survey Circular No. 0980, pp.278–282, 1986
- Mineral abundance in the North American Cordillera American Scientist, vol.72, no.4, pp.368–377, Aug 1984
- The Basin and Range Province; origin and tectonic significance Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol.10, pp.409–440, 1982
- The 1977 eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol.7, no.3-4, pp.189–210, May 1980
Other sources
External links
- Portrait of Gordon Eaton from U.S. Geological Survey Museum Collection
- Photograph of Gordon P. Eaton from the U.S. Geological Survey (About USGS: Directors)
