| Authorised form of name | Gass; Ian Graham (1926 - 1992) |
| Dates | 1926 - 1992 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Gateshead |
| Date of birth | 20/03/1926 |
| Place of death | Bedford |
| Date of death | 08/10/1992 |
| Occupation | Geologist |
| Research field | Geology |
| Activity | Education:
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, then in Huddersfield. Army service, then BSc. at Leeds University (1952); MSc 1955; PhD 1960; DSc 1972
Career:
Joined staff of the Sudan Geological Survey (1952), moving to the Cyprus Geological Survey (1956-1960). Here he formulated his ideas , first published in Nature in 1968, that in Cyprus can be seen a fragment of the old ocean floor, caught and pushed up between the colliding continents of Africa and Eurasia to the north. Assistant Lecturer in Geology under Peter Sylvester-Bradley at Leicester; Lecturer then Senior Lecturer at Leeds University. Director of Research Institute of African Geology which he established 1955-1967. Led the Royal Society expedition to Tristan da Cunha follwing the eruption and subsequent evacuation of the population in 1962. Became foundation professor designate of Earth Sciences at the Open University (1969), which he then developed. and was Professor of Earth Sciences and Head of Discipline Open University (1969-1982); personal chair (1982-91); Emeritus Professor (1991-2); Honorary Visiting Professor Leeds University (1992) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 17/03/1983 |
| Age at election | 56 |
| Relationships | Married Mary Pearce 1955; one son, one daughter. |
| PublishedWorks | 'African Tectonics and Magnetism; 1970, co-edited with Tom Clifford. 'Understanding the Earth; 1970, Artemis Press with Peter Smith and Chris Wilson. |
| Source | Obituaries:
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1995 vol 41 pp 169-182, plate, by K G Cox |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/104967 |
| Code | NA2081 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1983/11 | Gass, Ian Graham: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1976 |
| EXP/4 | Tristan Da Cunha Expeditions papers | 1962 |