Stuart Olof Agrell
Encyclopedia
Stuart Olof Agrell was an outstanding optical mineralogist and pioneer collaborator applying the electron microprobe
to petrology
. His involvement in the Apollo program brought him to the attention of the British media and public.
Agrell was born in Ruislip
, Middlesex
to a Scandinavian father and English mother. He went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge
in 1932, the first year of C E Tilley’s new Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, and attained a first class degree. This was followed by a Ph.D, which was a substantial study of Scottish metamorphics, under P.C. Phillips at Cambridge in 1938. He went to join the staff at Manchester University, and in 1939 on the outbreak of World War II
was put to work studying industrial slag mineralogy in order to improve the efficiency of the furnace process.
In 1949 he returned to Cambridge University as a Lecturer and as Museum Curator in Tilley’s Department. He carried on with his work in laterites and widened his interest to calcarcous rocks. With the collaboration of J. V. P. Long began using the electron microprobe
to study rocks and minerals. He took in hand an extensive but ill-organized collection of meteorite
s in the museum and from his study with electron probe work discovered the “Agrell effect”, the decrease in the nickel content of kamacite
as a boundary with taenite
is approached.
In 1962 Agrell was appointed Visiting Professor on the American Geological Institute
scheme. For two and a half years he was busy with Professorships at the University of Minnesota
and at Berkeley
and occasional field trips. His work on meteorites, and the discovery of the Agrell effect, led to him being accepted not only as a Principal lunar sample Investigator for the Apollo program, but also the only non-American petrologist member of the preliminary examination team at Houston. When he returned to Britain with moon rock
in a carpet bag, he almost became a national celebrity for his appearances as the “expert geologist” in the BBC
television coverage of astronauts collecting lunar rocks and soils. He was pioneer in bringing geology to the general public. He published seminal papers on the constitution of the lunar soil and on lunar basalt mineralogy.
Agrell became a Fellow of Trinity Hall in 1964 Once interest in the Apollo programme declined, Agrell returned to meteoritics, his curatorial duties, and teaching final year students. As he came to the end of his career during the 1970s, he passionately wanted Cambridge to remain a centre of extraterrestrial sample research and attracted talented workers to form a flourishing planetary sciences group ther.
Agrell retired in 1980, at the same time as the Mineralogy and Petrology Department merged into the new Department of Earth Sciences
an outcome that he had quietly helped to achieve. Retirement made little difference to his level of activity and the award of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship allowed him to return to the Marysvale district of Utah
to continue work he had started in the 60’s. In 1983 he was elected President of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain. Three years later, in 1986, he suffered a stroke at the wheel of his car which involved him in a serious road accident. Although he managed to achieve some further research successes this effectively put an end to his work.
Agrell was an outstanding optical mineralogist and pioneer of precise chemical analysis for petrographic studies, Although he was an excellent communicator, he was a poor formal lecturer partly because of a slight stammer and he disliked writing because of a mild word dyslexia. This affected the amount of recognition he received. His strength was in practical teaching and many of the students he taught and also advised unofficially went on to become leaders in their fields. His memory is perpetuated by the mineral agrellite
(NaCa2Si4O10F).
Agrell married Jean Imlay, a former fellow graduate student at Cambridge whose skills included fluency in Russian and computing. They had three sons.
Electron microprobe
An electron microprobe , also known as an electron probe microanalyzer or electron micro probe analyzer , is an analytical tool used to non-destructively determine the chemical composition of small volumes of solid materials...
to petrology
Petrology
Petrology is the branch of geology that studies rocks, and the conditions in which rocks form....
. His involvement in the Apollo program brought him to the attention of the British media and public.
Agrell was born in Ruislip
Ruislip
Ruislip is a suburban area, centred on an old village in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.It was formerly also a parish covering the neighbouring areas of Eastcote, Northwood, Ruislip Manor and South Ruislip in the area. The parish appears in the Domesday Book, and...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
to a Scandinavian father and English mother. He went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
in 1932, the first year of C E Tilley’s new Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, and attained a first class degree. This was followed by a Ph.D, which was a substantial study of Scottish metamorphics, under P.C. Phillips at Cambridge in 1938. He went to join the staff at Manchester University, and in 1939 on the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was put to work studying industrial slag mineralogy in order to improve the efficiency of the furnace process.
In 1949 he returned to Cambridge University as a Lecturer and as Museum Curator in Tilley’s Department. He carried on with his work in laterites and widened his interest to calcarcous rocks. With the collaboration of J. V. P. Long began using the electron microprobe
Electron microprobe
An electron microprobe , also known as an electron probe microanalyzer or electron micro probe analyzer , is an analytical tool used to non-destructively determine the chemical composition of small volumes of solid materials...
to study rocks and minerals. He took in hand an extensive but ill-organized collection of meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s in the museum and from his study with electron probe work discovered the “Agrell effect”, the decrease in the nickel content of kamacite
Kamacite
Kamacite is a mineral. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, usually in the proportions of 90:10 to 95:5 although impurities such as cobalt or carbon may be present. On the surface of Earth, it occurs naturally only in meteorites. It has a metallic luster, is gray and has no clear cleavage although...
as a boundary with taenite
Taenite
Taenite is a mineral found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorites. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, with nickel proportions of 20% up to 65%.The name is derived from the Greek for "band". Taenite is a major constituent of iron meteorites...
is approached.
In 1962 Agrell was appointed Visiting Professor on the American Geological Institute
American Geological Institute
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of 45 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists...
scheme. For two and a half years he was busy with Professorships at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and occasional field trips. His work on meteorites, and the discovery of the Agrell effect, led to him being accepted not only as a Principal lunar sample Investigator for the Apollo program, but also the only non-American petrologist member of the preliminary examination team at Houston. When he returned to Britain with moon rock
Moon rock
Moon rock describes rock that formed on the Earth's moon. The term is also loosely applied to other lunar materials collected during the course of human exploration of the Moon.The rocks collected from the Moon are measured by radiometric dating techniques...
in a carpet bag, he almost became a national celebrity for his appearances as the “expert geologist” in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television coverage of astronauts collecting lunar rocks and soils. He was pioneer in bringing geology to the general public. He published seminal papers on the constitution of the lunar soil and on lunar basalt mineralogy.
Agrell became a Fellow of Trinity Hall in 1964 Once interest in the Apollo programme declined, Agrell returned to meteoritics, his curatorial duties, and teaching final year students. As he came to the end of his career during the 1970s, he passionately wanted Cambridge to remain a centre of extraterrestrial sample research and attracted talented workers to form a flourishing planetary sciences group ther.
Agrell retired in 1980, at the same time as the Mineralogy and Petrology Department merged into the new Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences
The Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge is the University of Cambridge's Earth Sciences department. The main location of the department is at the Downing Site, Downing St. The Bullard Laboratories, located in West Cambridge on Madingley Rd, and the Godwin Laboratory, in the New Museums Site...
an outcome that he had quietly helped to achieve. Retirement made little difference to his level of activity and the award of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship allowed him to return to the Marysvale district of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to continue work he had started in the 60’s. In 1983 he was elected President of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain. Three years later, in 1986, he suffered a stroke at the wheel of his car which involved him in a serious road accident. Although he managed to achieve some further research successes this effectively put an end to his work.
Agrell was an outstanding optical mineralogist and pioneer of precise chemical analysis for petrographic studies, Although he was an excellent communicator, he was a poor formal lecturer partly because of a slight stammer and he disliked writing because of a mild word dyslexia. This affected the amount of recognition he received. His strength was in practical teaching and many of the students he taught and also advised unofficially went on to become leaders in their fields. His memory is perpetuated by the mineral agrellite
Agrellite
Agrellite is a mineral found in Quebec, Canada. It is also known from few other areas.Agrellite displays pink fluorescence under both shortwave and longwave ultraviolet light.It is named in honour of Stuart Olof Agrell....
(NaCa2Si4O10F).
Agrell married Jean Imlay, a former fellow graduate student at Cambridge whose skills included fluency in Russian and computing. They had three sons.
Publications
- Agrell S. O. and Long J. V. P. The application of the scanning X-ray microanalyser to mineralogy. In X-ray Microscopy and Microanalysis (eds. A. Engstrom, V. E. Coslett and H. H. Pattee), (1960) pp. 391– 400. Elsevier Amsterdam, Holland.
- Agrell S. O. Long J. V. P. and Ogilvie R. E. Nickel content of Kamacite near the interface with taenite in iron meteorites. (1963) Nature 198, 749—750.
- Agrell S. O. Polythermal metamorphism of limestones at Kilehoan, Ardnamurehan, Scotland. (1965) Mineralogy Mag. 34, 1 15.
- Agrell S. O., Bown M. G. And Mckie D. Deerite, howieite and zussmanite, three new minerals from the Franciscan of the Laytonville district, Mendocino Co., California. (1965) Amer. Min 50, 278.
- Agrell S. 0., Peckett A., Boyd F. R., Haggerty S. E., Bunch T. F., Cameron E. N., Dence M. R., Douglas J. A. V., Plant A. G., Traill R. J., James O. B., Keil K. And Prinz M. Titanian chromite, aluminium chromite and chromian ulvtispinel from Apollo 11 rocks. (1970) Apollo Lunar Science Conf 1, 93-128.