Daniel Francis Merriam (February 2, 1927 – April 26, 2017) was an American

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

best known for fostering the development of quantitative modeling in

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

after the advent of

digital computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', wh ...

. He first joined the

Kansas Geological Survey The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) is a research and service division of the University of Kansas, charged by statute with studying and providing information on the geologic resources of Kansas. The KGS has no regulatory authority and does not ta ...

in 1953, initially working under the direction Raymond C. Moore to have a more accurate knowledge about the geology of the state. His fascination with the new possibilities offered by computers started ten years later while working with John W. Harbaugh at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

as Visiting Research Scientist. In the following seven years, he was active organizing colloquia and as editor of the Computer Contributions, who saw 50 publications in the series by pioneers in the new field. Merriam accepted the position of Chairman of the Department of Geology at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1971 and moved to the same position at Wichita State University in 1981, coming back to the Kansas Geological Survey in 1991 to retire in 1997, remaining as an Emeritus Scientist. Consistent with his interest to promote the use of computers in geology, Dan was instrumental in founding the International Association for Mathematical Geology (IAMG) in 1968, serving as its second Secretary General (1972–1976) and third President (1976–1980). In 1969, he started for the Association what is today the Mathematical Geosciences journal and in 1975 Computers & Geosciences jointly with IAMG and Pergamon Press. He received the William Christian Krumbein Medal in 1982 in appreciation for his services to the IAMG and the profession and a

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

in 1993. In 1992, the Geological Society (London) presented him the William Smith Medal.

Education

*BS in geology, 1949,

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

*MS in geology, 1953,

*MSc in geology, 1969,

Leicester University The University of Leicester ( ) is a public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, University College, Leicester, gained university ...

*PhD, 1961,

*DSc, 1975,

Selected bibliography

* Daniel F. Merriam, and John C. Davis, eds. (2001). Geologic Modeling and Simulation: Sedimentary Systems. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 352 p. * Andrea Förster and Daniel F. Merriam, eds. (1999). Geothermics and Basin Analysis. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 240 p. * Andrea Förster and Daniel F. Merriam, eds. (1996). Geologic Modeling and Mapping. Pergamon Press, 334 p. * Jan Harff and Daniel F. Merriam, eds. (1993). Computerized Basin Analysis: The Prognosis of Energy and Mineral Resources. Plenum Press, 340 p. * Hans Kürzl and Daniel F. Merriam, eds. (1992). Use of Microcomputers in Geology. Plenum Press, 285 p. * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1988). Current Trends in Geomathematics. Plenum Press, 334 p. * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1981). Computers Applications in the Earth Sciences: An Update of the 70s. Plenum Press, 385 p. * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1976). Quantitative Techniques for the Analysis of Sediments: A Symposium * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1976). Random Processes in Geology. Springer-Verlag, 168 p. * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1969). Mathematical Models of Sedimentary Processes. Plenum Press, 271 p. * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1970) Geostatistics: A Colloquium. Plenum Press, 177 p. * Daniel F. Merriam, ed. (1969). Computer Applications in the Earth Sciences. Plenum Press, 282 p. * John W. Harbaugh and Daniel F. Merriam (1968). Computer Applications in Stratigraphic Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, 282 p. * Daniel F. Merriam (1963). The Geologic History of Kansas. Bulletin 162, State Geological Survey of Kansas, University of Kansas Publications, 317 p.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merriam, Daniel F 1927 births 2017 deaths American geologists Wichita State University faculty University of Kansas alumni Alumni of the University of Leicester Syracuse University faculty