Israel Charles White (November 1, 1848 – November 24, 1927) was an eminent

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

, internationally known, and the first state geologist of West Virginia. White was born on a farm in the Battelle district of

Monongalia County, West Virginia Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its county seat is at Morgantown. The coun ...

, United States,Staff (25 November 1927
"Dr. I. C. White, State Geologist, Dies Suddenly: Passes Away After Slight Operation"
''Morgantown Post'' obituary, reprinted under title "Israel Charles White" by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, last accessed 21 October 2010 of western Monongalia County and grew up in Morgantown."About Geology and Geography at West Virginia University: History of the Department"
West Virginia University White graduated from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

in June 1872 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

and did postgraduate studies in Geology and Chemistry from

Columbia School of Mines The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (popularly known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; previously known as Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University. It was founded as t ...

and received a doctoral degree from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

in 1880. He began his career in 1875 as an assistant geologist in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1877 he assumed the chair of Geology at West Virginia University, where he taught until 1892. In 1878, he was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. From 1884 to 1888, he worked as an assistant geologist for the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

, focusing on

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. He worked as a geologist at the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey from 1897 onwards, eventually becoming chief of staff. White field tested the " Anticlinal Theory" for oil and gas exploration in 1883. White then went on to discover the Pennsylvania and Washington gas and oil field, the Grapeville gas field, the Belle Vernon field, and then in 1889, the Mannington oil field. As White stated, "It taught the practical oil men once and for all that they could not afford to disregard geological truths in their search for oil deposits. In 1904 he was hired by the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian government as head of the "''Comissão de Estudos das Minas de Carvão de Pedra do Brasil''" (Commission for Studies on Brazilian Coal Mines), whose aim was to identify the potential of Brazilian coal, and whose report, published in 1908, was a milestone for understanding the geology of the

Paraná Basin The Paraná Basin ( pt, Bacia do Paraná, es, Cuenca del Paraná) is a large cratonic sedimentary basin situated in the central-eastern part of South America. About 75% of its areal distribution occurs in Brazil, from Mato Grosso to Rio Grande d ...

in Southern Brazil. One of the main results of these studies, besides the reconnaissance for coal, was the discovery of

Mesosaurus ''Mesosaurus'' (meaning "middle lizard") is an extinct genus of reptile from the Cisuralian, Early Permian of southern Africa and South America. Along with it, the genera ''Brazilosaurus'' and ''Stereosternum'', it is a member of the family (bio ...

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s within

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last ...

black shales ( Irati Formation), and the

Glossopteris ''Glossopteris'' tymology: from Ancient Greek γλῶσσα (glôssa, " tongue ") + πτερίς (pterís, " fern ")is the largest and best-known genus of the extinct Permian order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales (also known as Arberia ...

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

within the Permian coals. White was one of the first to propose the equivalence between the

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Permian strata and similar rocks of the Karoo Basin in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. This report had an important contribution to the development of Continental Drift Theory, published by

Alfred Wegener Alfred Lothar Wegener (; ; 1 November 1880 – November 1930) was a German climatologist, geologist, geophysicist, meteorologist, and polar researcher. During his lifetime he was primarily known for his achievements in meteorology and ...

in 1912. He was the treasurer of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitch ...

in 1892–1907 and its president in 1920.Eckel, Edwin, 1982, GSA Memoir 155, The Geological Society of America — Life History of a Learned Society: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir 155, 168 p., . He died in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, aged 79.

References

External links

The_White_stratigraphic_column
,_Classic_Geologic_Section_of_the_Gondwana.html" ;"title="stratigraphic column">The White stratigraphic column
, Classic Geologic Section of the Gondwana">stratigraphic column">The White stratigraphic column
, Classic Geologic Section of the Gondwana Continent in Brazil ]

Additional reading

"Israel Charles White"
West Virginia Division of Culture and History, obituary from the ''Morgantown Post'' 25 November 1927

West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, Department of Commerce, West Virginia
"About Geology and Geography at West Virginia University"
West Virginia University * Allison, Lee (30 June 2008

State Geologist, Arizona Geological Survey {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Israel C. 1848 births 1927 deaths American geologists Educators from West Virginia West Virginia University alumni University of Arkansas alumni West Virginia University faculty People from Monongalia County, West Virginia Columbia School of Mines alumni People from Morgantown, West Virginia Presidents of the Geological Society of America