Arthur Starr Eakle (July 27, 1862 – July 5, 1931) was an American

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

. Eakle researched the mineralogical conditions of areas of California, Nevada and Hawaii. His work on

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

, the third largest island in Hawaii, included identifying numerous new minerals.

Life

Eakle was born in 1862 in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 1894, he taught at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

."Death Claims Dr. A. S. Eakle." ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' 6 Jul 1931: Page 5. Print. He earned his doctorate in 1896 from the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. In 1899, he married Fannie V. Kenney. In 1900, they moved to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. In 1903, Eakle joined the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

as an associate professor. Ten years later, in 1913, he became professor, and full professor in 1919. Eakle became president of the

Mineralogical Society of America The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) is a scientific membership organization. MSA was founded in 1919 for the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, and petrology, and promotion of their uses in other sciences, industry, ...

in 1925. In 1929, he became

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

and in 1930, moved to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

to do research in partnership with the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

."Million Years Behind Islands: No Hope of Precious Metal In Hawaiian Rocks Says Dr. Eakle." ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' 20 Mar. 1931: Page 2. Print."Black Sand Beach Held Volcanic Glass." ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' 21 Nov 1930: Page 7. Print. While in Hawaii, Eakle did field work focused on mineralogical conditions

. His research determined that the islands were unlikely to produce precious metals, specifically gold and silver, due to the basalt composition, making the landscape low in

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...

. Eakle discovered pockets of copper at Pālolo Quarry. Additionally, Eakle researched the age of the Hawaiian Islands, estimating that the islands were "at least 1,000,000 years old," based on the rock composition."Evidence of Antiquity of Hawaiian Islands." ''The Sioux County Index'' 3 Jun 1932: Page 3. Print. He also discovered that the black beaches of Kaimū comprised

volcanic glass Volcanic glass is the amorphous (uncrystallized) product of rapidly cooling magma. Like all types of glass, it is a state of matter intermediate between the closely packed, highly ordered array of a crystal and the highly disordered array of liqu ...

. His work on Oahu also included the discovery of numerous new minerals. While on Oahu, he stayed with geologist Harold T. Stearns. On June 24, 1931, Eakle was taken to St. Francis Hospital suffering from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, which he had contracted as a result of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

he had earlier in the month."Dr. A. S. Eakle Seriously Ill." ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' 25 Jun 1931: Page 1. Print. Eakle died on July 5. Eakle's Hawaiian research was sent to Washington, D.C., where his students continued it.

Bibliography

*''The Minerals of Tonopah, Nevada''. Berkeley: University of California Press (1912) *''Minerals Of California''. Sacramento: California State Mining Bureau (1922).

References

1862 births 1931 deaths Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni American mineralogists University of California, Berkeley faculty Scientists from Washington, D.C. Deaths from pneumonia in Hawaii People from the Territory of Hawaii {{US-geologist-stub