| Description | Oral history interview: Derek Blundell interviewed by Nic Bilham about his life and geological career, carried out as part of a History of Geology Group (HOGG) project originating around the time of the bicentenary of the Society.
Recording location: The Geological Society, Burlington House
Duration: 01:15:29
Brief mention of childhood and schooling, then study at Birmingham University (1951-1954) and gaining an interest in geophysics (00:32-04:10); developments in the field of geophysics, particularly palaeomagnetism, in the 1950s (04:10-09:43); postgraduate study in palaeomagnetism at Imperial (1954-1957), including its relation to continental drift theories, and Cambridge's anti-continental drift views (09:43-20:33); developments in palaeomagnetism and continental drift/plate tectonics in the early 1960s, including Allan Cox, Richard Doell, and Brent Dalrymple in America, Drummond Matthews and Fred Vine at Cambridge, and Harry Hess, and influences on the interviewee, including Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Herbert Harold (HH) Read, and Douglas Shearman, and Research Fellowship at Birmingham (20:33-31:57); The Geological Society in the 1950s (31:57-33:41); palaeomagnetism driving growing global research interaction, and trip to British Antarctica as part of Research Fellowship (34:10-39:57); lectureship in geophysics and Geology at Birmingham, the interviewee branching into marine geophysics in Cardigan Bay and the Celtic Sea in the 1960s (39:57-49:30); development of plate tectonics in 1960s and its relationship with Geology (49:35-55:18); interviewee's time in the Geological Society, including Council in 1970s, foundation, development, and subsumption of Institute of Geologists, and presidency in 1988-1990 (55:43-01:13:37); synergy between oil and gas industry and British universities (01:13:52-01:15:22). |