Person Turner; Herbert Hall (1861 - 1930); astronomer and seismologist Turner Herbert Hall astronomer and seismologist 1861 - 1930 British Male Leeds, Yorkshire, England 13 August 1861 18610813 Sabbatsberg Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, Europe 20/08/1930 19300820

Astronomer; Seismologist Astronomy Seismology Education: Leeds modern school; Clifton College, Bristol (1874); Trinity College, Cambridge (1879) Career: Chief Assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory (1884-1893); Savilian Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford University (1893-1930); Turner founded the International Seismological Survey (ISS) at the observatory, establishing it as the global publication for seismic events (1918-1922); advocated for a world time service to precisely correlate earthquake reports, challenging the existing norms (1919-1924); died following a stroke suffered while presiding at a meeting of the international commission on seismology. Membership: Royal Astronomical Society (1885) General secretary of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1913-1922) Awards/Medals: Bruce Medal (1927) Parents: John Turner (bap. 1831, d. 1883), an artist, and Isabella Hall (1840/1–1924), of Hexham. Spouse: Agnes Margaret (1877–1958), daughter of Robert Whyte, a merchant involved in South Africa trade, of Pentland House, Lee (1899) Children: Ruth Turner The crater Turner on the Moon and Asteroid 1186 Turnera were named after him. He was one of the observers in the Eclipse Expeditions of 1886 and 1887. In the field of astronomy, he made significant breakthroughs with two crucial inventions, utilising his observatory's resources to complete nearly a quarter of the entire catalogue project at Oxford. In the realm of seismology, Turner's reputation rests on two theoretical and two administrative accomplishments. He successfully maintained John Milne's (FRS 1887) international earthquake reporting organization and implemented a crucial reorganisation by shifting from collating data by reporting station to focusing on seismic events. Turner played a pivotal role in developing the Zoppritz–Turner tables, enhancing earthquake location accuracy. Despite prevailing consensus, he made a groundbreaking discovery in 1922 by identifying deep-focus earthquakes. Turner was an early proponent of the idea that the Earth had a liquid core and solid mantle, and the tables he prepared formed the basis for subsequent work by Sir Harold Jeffreys (FRS 1925) and David Bullen, confirming this hypothesis. In 1930, Turner's second significant discovery was mapping volcanic and earthquake events as the 'ring of fire' around the Pacific rim. His transformative contributions reshaped the practice of seismology, and the enduring legacies of the ISS and his deep earthquake discovery solidify his impact. Through his dedicated offices and tireless committee work, Turner ensured that his seemingly obsolete observatory remained at the forefront of scientific advancement. Fellow 03/06/1897 36 Bartholomew Price; William Esson; Edwin Bailey Elliott; William James Lloyd Wharton; Edwin Dunkin; Edwin Ray Lankester; Andrew Ainslie Common; Arthur Schuster; Charles Vernon Boys; John Hopkinson; William Ellis; Robert Bellamy Clifton William Henry Mahoney Christie; William de Wiveleslie Abney; William Huggins; Edward James Stone; James Whitbread Lee Glaisher; George Johnstone Stoney; Robert Stawell Ball; Joseph Norman Lockyer; George Howard Darwin Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc Series A 1931 vol 133 pp i-ix, plate, signed by R A S Turner H H, IM004671.jpg International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.1931.0154 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Turner%2C+Herbert+Hall RCN 27697 RCN R66544 RCN 21529 RCN 21530 13 Aug 1861 - 20 Aug 1930 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 14/02/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA1105 21/11/2001 Andyg Martind 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/27848634 e946714d-38d2-4920-ad76-cdb7b582e2eb