Roland Duer Irving (April 27, 1847 – May 30, 1888) 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, ...

. He was born in New York city and graduated from Columbia College School of Mines in 1869 as a

mining engineer Mining engineering is the extraction of minerals from the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer m ...

. In 1879, he received his PhD, also from Columbia. Soon after his graduation he became assistant on the Ohio geological survey, and in 1870 was elected professor of

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 ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

, and

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...

at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. In 1879 the title of his chair was changed to that of geology and

mineralogy 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 ...

. He became assistant state geologist of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

in 1878, and continued as such until 1879. From 1880 to 1882 he was one of the

United States census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 United States ce ...

experts, and in 1882 was made geologist in charge of the

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

division of the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

. His specialty was the micro-petrography of the fragmental rocks and crystalline

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

s, and

pre-Cambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...

and the genesis of some of the so-called crystalline rocks. He is considered one of the pioneers of

petrography Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The clas ...

in the United States. Irving was eulogized by United States Geological Survey Director

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

as part of the 1889 annual report to the Secretary of the Interior. He was the father of John Duer Irving, another noted geologist and editor of the journal ''Economic Geology'' from 1905 to 1918.

Publications

* "Geology of Central Wisconsin" Wisconsin Geological Survey (1877) * "Geology of the Lake Superior Region" Wisconsin Geological Survey (1880) *
Crystalline Rocks of the Wisconsin Valley
Wisconsin Geological Survey (1882) Geology of Wisconsin. Survey of 1873–1879, Volume IV. pp. 628–714 * "Mineralogy and Lithology of Wisconsin" Wisconsin Geological Survey (1888) * "The Copper-Bearing Rocks of Lake Superior" US Geological Survey Monograph No. 5 (1888) * "On Secondary Enlargements of Mineral Fragments in Certain Rocks" US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 8 (1884) * "The Archaen Formations of the Northwestern States" US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 86 (1885)
Observations on the Junction Between the Eastern Sandstone and the Keweenaw Series on Keweenaw ...
with Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin. US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 23 (1885) * "The Classification of the Early Cambrian and Pre-Cambrian Formations" US Geological Survey (1886)
The Greenstone Schist Areas of the Menominee and Marquette Regions of Michigan: A Contribution ...
with George Huntington Williams. US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 62 (1890)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Roland Duer American geologists 1847 births 1888 deaths United States Geological Survey personnel Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni American mining engineers University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty