Hans Holtedahl (8 December 1917 – 24 February 2001) was a Norwegian

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, ...

. He was a professor of geology at the

University of Bergen The University of Bergen () is a public university, public research university in Bergen, Norway. As of 2021, the university had over 4,000 employees and 19,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 1946 consolidating several sci ...

Biography

He was born in Krisitania (now Oslo, Norway) a son of geologist

Olaf Holtedahl Olaf Holtedahl (24 June 1885 – 26 August 1975) was a Norwegian geologist (Dr.philos., 1913). He became a senior lecturer at the University of Oslo in 1914, and was Professor of Geology there from 1920 to 1956. Career Olaf Holtedahl was bo ...

(1885–1975) and Tora Gurstad (1889–1980). In 1936, Holtedahl began studying chemistry and zoology at the University of Oslo. In 1939, he joined a research expedition to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. Following the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

during spring 1940, he went to Great Britain. He became part of a Norwegian field unit in support of the

Free Norwegian forces The Norwegian armed forces in exile () were remnants of the armed forces of Norway that continued to fight the Axis Powers, Axis powers from Allies of World War II, Allied countries, such as United Kingdom, Britain and Canada, after they had escap ...

. Given six months leave in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, he studied geology under geologist

Arthur Holmes Arthur Holmes (14 January 1890 – 20 September 1965) was an English geologist who made two major contributions to the understanding of geology. He pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals, and was the first earth scientist to gras ...

(1890–1965) at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. In 1948 he took a master's degree at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

and in 1957 he received his doctorate from the

. He worked for the

from 1949, and was appointed professor of

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

geology from 1967, and professor of

marine geology Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the history and structure of the ocean floor. It involves geophysical, Geochemistry, geochemical, Sedimentology, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and ...

from 1972. His doctor thesis treated the

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

and

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

s on the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...

off the coast of Møre. He published a work on the geology of the

Hardangerfjord The Hardangerfjord () is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountainous interior of No ...

in 1975. In 1952, Hans Holtedahl was honored by the

Norwegian Geological Society The Geological Society of Norway (GSN) (in Norwegian: Norsk Geologisk Forening) is a Norwegian learned society founded in 1905. Among the founders was geologist Hans Henrik Reusch, who also was the first chairman of the society. The society publ ...

with the

Reusch Medal The Reusch Medal () is a medal awarded by the Norwegian Geological Society to young researchers in recognition of a high-quality treatise on geology. It has been awarded since 4 January 1926 in honor of the geologist Hans Henrik Reusch (1852–1922 ...

Personal life

During his studies in Edinburgh, he met the philology student Wendy Moira Lowe (1923–1978), who he married in 1946 and with whom he had three children.

References

1917 births 2001 deaths Scientists from Oslo Marine geologists Norwegian geomorphologists Quaternary geologists University of Oslo alumni University of Bergen alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academic staff of the University of Bergen 20th-century Norwegian geologists Norwegian Army personnel of World War II {{norway-academic-bio-stub