| Description | Papers of Edward Irving, 1949-2013, comprising:
Student notebooks compiled during undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge, 1949-1951; PDF copy of PhD dissertation 'The Palaeomagnetism of the Torridonian Sandstone Series of North-Western Scotland', 1954, with copy of the examiner's report;
Curriculum vitae, October 2012; Photocopies of correspondence relating to the application for a research post in the department of Geophysics at the Australian National University (ANU), 1954;
Correspondence reflecting the periods when Irving was based in Britain and in Australia, 1951-1964, and later working for the Geological Survey of Canada, 1964-1992 [-2013];
Field notebooks, compiled as an undergraduate and doctoral student at the Department of Geodesy and Geophysics, University of Cambridge, 1949-1954, then as Research Fellow, Fellow and Senior Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, 1954-1964; and research scientist for the Dominion Observatory, later Pacific Geoscience Centre, 1967-1991 [digital copy of the Canadian notebooks only];
Research notebooks detailing the results of palaeomagnetic work, compiled whilst a research assistant [under Keith Runcorn], then as a graduate student in the Department of Geophysics and Geodesy, University of Cambridge, then as a Research Fellow, later Fellow later Senior Fellow at the ANU, Canberra, 1951-[1961];
'Papers' notebooks [also titled 'Notes' notebooks] collated whilst a research assistant [under Keith Runcorn], later graduate student in the Department of Geodesy and Geophysics, University of Cambridge, 1951-1954, then as a a Research Fellow, later Fellow later Senior Fellow at the Australian National University, Canberra, 1954-1964;
Correspondence relating to the revision and publication of Irving's book 'Palaeomagnetism, and its applications to geological and geophysical problems', New York: John Wiley and Son (1964), with typewritten synopsis of a proposed book 'An Introduction to Paleomagnetism', which was apparently unpublished, [nd]. |
| Administrative History | Edward Irving was born on 27 May 1927 in Colne, Lancashire, England. Between 1932-1936 he attended Lord Street Council School but after gaining a junior scholarship he switched to Colne Grammar School where he excelled in sport and became Head Boy.
On leaving school in 1945, Ted Irving was conscripted for military service spending the next two years in Palestine and Africa. Whilst stationed in Asmara, Eritrea, he visited the British Council's office seeking information on British Universities as he was likely to be demobilised the following year. Despite knowing very little about the Oxbridge universities, but with the County Major Scholarship he had gained at grammar school in 1945, he was accepted by Fitzwilliam House, Cambridge to read natural sciences in 1948. For Part I he read geology, mineralogy and zoology, and for Part II geology, specialising in stratigraphy and palaeontology. He graduated with a lower second class honours degree, with geology as a special subject, in 1951.
On completing his BA he was hired by the geophysicist Keith Runcorn (1922-1995) as a temporary research assistant to collect oriented samples of older sedimentary rocks for testing on the magnetometer designed by Patrick Blackett (1897-1974). Irving realised (with help from Ronald Fisher), that he could apply this idea of palaeomagnetism to test theories of continental drift. Both Runcorn and Blackett were so impressed they invited him to do a PhD at Cambridge. Despite initial reluctance, Irving was formally accepted as a PhD student in Autumn 1952.
The focus of Irving's research (which continued throughout his scientific career) was the history of the Earth's magnetic field which had been little studied until that time. When rocks are formed, their crystals align with the Earth's magnetic field but as the continents moved over time, he and his fellow graduate students Jan Hospers and Ken Creer could therefore use palaeomagnetic studies to gain a snapshot of their location when created. For instance Irving found that the directional magnetic readings retained in the Precambrian rocks in the Torridonian Sandstone series in the Highlands of Scotland did not agree with the current magnetic field. The discrepancy indicated that the landmass of Scotland must have moved relative to the geomagnetic pole. Using samples from the Deccan Traps supplied by members of the Indian Geological Survey, Irving used this technique to make the first estimate made on physical evidence of the movement of India - finding that it had moved northward by 6,000 km and rotated more than 30 degrees counterclockwise.
However despite these many firsts, the field was so new that the examiners failed his PhD. He would later be awarded an ScD by Cambridge in 1965 to go alongside his MSc (1955) and MA (1957).
November 1954 saw Irving join the fledgling Australian National University’s Department of Geophysics, Canberra, as Research Fellow, Fellow then later Senior Fellow respectively. There he determined that the apparent polar wander path from Australian Phanerozoic rocks diverged wildly from both the British path and a path from North America derived in the meantime by Runcorn. This was, for many, the decisive proof of the reality of continental drift.
Apart from a period between 1966-1967 when he was Professor of Geophysics at the University of Leeds, England, Irving remained in Australia until 1964. That year he moved to Canada as Research Scientist for the Government run Dominion Observatory (Ottawa) with the remit to develop its palaeomagnetic facilities. Irving continued his palaeomagnetic work, particularly on Canada's Precambrian shield. In 1981 he moved westwards to Sydney to establish another lab at the Pacific Geoscience Centre which would later be incorporated into the Geological Survey of Canada. He retired in 1992, thereafter becoming emeritus scientist. Ted Irving died of cancer in Saanichton, British Columbia, Canada, on 25 February 2014.
Awards & Honours:
1960 Christien Mica Gondwanaland Medal, Mining Geological & Metallurgical Institute India
1973 Fellow Royal Society of Canada
1975 Logan Medal, Geological Association of Canada
1977 Fellow American Geophysical Union
1979 Walter H. Bucher Medal, American Geophysical Union
1979 Fellow Royal Society of London
1979 Carleton University, Ottawa DSc (Hon)
1984 Wilson Medal, Canadian Geophysical Union
1986 Memorial University Newfoundland DSc (Hon)
1990 Honorary Fellow Geological Society of London
1995 Alfred Wegener Medal, European Geosciences Union
1995 Distinguished Fellow Geological Association of Canada
1997 Arthur L. Day Medal, Geological Society of America
1998 Foreign Associate US Academy of Science
1999 University of Victoria DSc (Hon) 1999
2002 Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
2003 Member Order of Canada 2003 (post-nominal CM)
2005 Wollaston Medal Geological Society of London
2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
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| Arrangement | Professor Irving, before his death in February 2014, undertook the weeding and arranging of his own archive of papers before sending them to the Society in January 2014. The collection was split into two parts, the early material (1949-1964) relating to his work in Britain and Australia was given to the Society. The later material (1964-2013) was created whilst working for the Geological Survey of Canada and therefore belongs to the Canadian Government. It was, however, lent for the purpose of digitisation. [Note: the Canadian material was sent too early by mistake and therefore had not been catalogued apart from a brief contents list created by Irving and Terry Scharf of GSC.]
Irving's arrangement has been retained where possible apart from the correspondence series which as well as being split between the two parts of the collection, was also divided into - 1) letters generated by Irving & 2) letters generated by others. In order to keep all the material from the same correspondent/subject together, where possible the letters from both collections and parts have been merged. The Canadian material has been photocopied onto archival standard paper which will be flagged up in the catalogue records.
Additionally there are a number of photocopies of material held elsewhere, or copies of material retrospectively compiled by Irving. On much of the material are short, brief notes to the Society archivist giving a bit of background to what the material is or its importance.
Note on spelling: both the UK and US spelling of palaeomagnetics/paleomagnetics are used in this description. Primarily the UK spelling will be used, but the US spelling is retained for titles of works. |