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Clyde Wahrhaftig

February 16, 2024

Clyde A. Wahrhaftig (December 1, 1919 – April 6, 1994) was an American geologist who worked for the United States Geological Survey and taught at the University of California at Berkeley.[1] His research areas included Alaska, the Sierra Nevada, and the California Coast Ranges.[2] He is also known for his field guides to the geology of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Clyde A. Wahrhaftig
Born(1919-12-01)December 1, 1919
Fresno, California
DiedApril 6, 1994 (1994-04-07) (aged 74)
San Francisco, California
Alma materCaltech (Bachelors degree), Harvard University (PhD)
AwardsKirk Bryan Award, Geological Society of America Distinguished Career Award
Scientific career
FieldsGeology, Geomorphology
InstitutionsUS Geological Survey 1941–1994; University of California Berkeley 1960–1982

Biography edit

Wahrhaftig was born and raised in Fresno, California. He earned a bachelor's degree in geology at Caltech in 1941, and a Ph.D. in geology at Harvard in 1953. He worked for the US Geological Survey (USGS) as a field geologist from 1941 until his death; the bulk of his USGS work was in Alaska.[1] Starting in 1960, he also taught in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of California, Berkeley. During his tenure at Berkeley, he started his researches in the Sierra Nevada.[1] When heart issues began to affect his physical activities in the mid-1980s, he shifted his research to the nearby California coast range.[3] His interest in environmental issues led to him taking the position of Chair and Director of the new Environmental Sciences interdepartmental undergraduate major in 1975. He retired from UC Berkeley in 1982.[1]

In the late 1960s, Wahrhaftig took an active role in trying to get minority and female students active in the earth sciences. He was also active in environmentally-based community projects, working extensively in the Bolinas and Tomales Bay areas[1]

Wahrhaftig was a dedicated user of public transportation, partially motivated by his concern about the environment impact of fossil fuels.[3] He eschewed automobiles and airplanes and routinely traveled by sea to his field work in Alaska. He continued to use horse-pack trains while working in the field for as long as the USGS permitted it. His support of public transportation also helped him fulfill his commitment to making geology accessible to the public by writing field guides that could be understood by laymen and did not require long trips by car to see the relevant sites. Some of his most popular field guides include Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonic Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco,[4] A Walker's Guide to the Geology of San Francisco, and The Hayward Fault in Hayward and Fremont, via BART. Wahrhaftig was also the co-author of two geology textbooks.[5] Streetcar to Subduction has been revisited in digital form with a Google Earth-based online field trip guide series Streetcar2Subduction[6] released in December 2019 at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the original book and the 100th anniversary of Wahrhaftig's birth.[7]

Wahrhaftig spent most of his career as a closeted homosexual, but he came out as a gay man during his acceptance speech for the Geological Society of America's "Distinguished Career Award" in 1989.[8][9] He had a close personal and professional relationship with the geophysicist Allan Cox that lasted until Cox's death in 1987.[10]

Wahrhaftig died of heart failure in San Francisco at the age of 74.[11]

Scientific work edit

Wahrhaftig made significant scientific contributions to the field of geology; his work is credited with inspiring the research of many colleagues and students.[3] He was known for his systematic and meticulous field observations.[9] His 1959 paper on Alaskan rock glaciers (co-authored with Allan Cox) inspired a world-wide surge in research on rock glaciers.[9] Wahrhaftig's 1965 paper "Stepped Topography of the Southern Sierra Nevada" was awarded the Geological Society of America (GSA) Kirk Bryan Award.[12] He was one of the first Bay Area scientists to bring the role of plate tectonics in causing earthquakes to public awareness. He was also a pioneer in applying geological science to environmental problems, with a particular focus on forest management practices (e.g., effects of logging on soil erosion). He was appointed to the California Board of Forestry in 1975, where he advocated for forest practices legislation that took a long-term perspective on geomorphological effects of forest management.

Wahrhaftig was given the GSA's Distinguished Career Award in 1989.

Wahrhaftig was largely responsible for paleomagnetist Allan Cox entering the field of geology, and considered this to be one of his major accomplishments in the field.[9] In 1950 and 1951, Wahrhaftig hired Cox (then an undergraduate chemistry major) to be a field assistant in Alaska.[13] Cox later described the rock glacier research as "one of the most interesting and exciting projects" he'd ever worked on; the rock glacier work also brought Cox's attention to the issue of rock dating. After 2 years of army service (during which Wahrhaftig continued to send him geology books), Cox returned to the university and changed his area of study to geophysics. The rock glacier work was published as Wahrhaftig and Cox (1959).[13]

Wahrhaftig and his graduate students at UC Berkeley spent decades mapping the effects of the Tioga glaciation in the Yosemite National Park area, but his map was not finished at the time of his death in 1994. He left a bequest for its completion, and the task was taken up by Yosemite Park geologist Greg Stock. The completed map was published online in 2019.[14]

Publications edit

  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1949). "The frost-moved rubbles of Jumbo Dome and their significance in the Pleistocene chronology of Alaska". Journal of Geology. 57 (2): 216–231. Bibcode:1949JG.....57..216W. doi:10.1086/625598. S2CID 73621673.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1958). Quaternary Geology of the Nenana River and adjacent parts of the Alaska Range, Alaska (USGS Professional Paper 393A) (PDF). United States Geological Survey.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde; Allan Cox (1959). "Rock Glaciers in the Alaska Range". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 70 (4): 383. Bibcode:1959GSAB...70..383W. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1959)70[383:RGITAR]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0016-7606.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1965). Physiographic divisions of Alaska (PDF) (3rd ed.). United States Geological Survey.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde; Birman, JH (1965). "The Quaternary of the Pacific mountain system in California". In Wright, HE; Frey, DG (eds.). The Quaternary of the United States. Princeton University Press. pp. 299–340.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1965). "Stepped Topography of the Southern Sierra Nevada, California". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 76 (10): 1165. Bibcode:1965GSAB...76.1165W. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1965)76[1165:STOTSS]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0016-7606.
  • Bateman, Paul & Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1966). "Geology of the Sierra Nevada". In Bailey, Edgar (ed.). Geology of Northern California (Bulletin 190). California Division of Mines and Geology. pp. 105–172.
  • Wahrhaftig, C; Wagner, JR (1972). "The Geologic Setting of Tomales Bay". In Corwin, R (ed.). Tomales Bay Environmental Study. The Conservation Foundation (Washington, DC).
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1984). "Structure of the Marin Headlands Block, California: A Progress Report". In Blake, M.C. (ed.). Franciscan Geology of Northern California. SEPM. pp. 31–50.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1984). A Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonic Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco (Revised ed.). American Geophysical Union.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1984). "Geomorphology and glacial geology, Wolverton and Crescent Meadow areas and vicinity, Sequoia National Park, California (Open-File Report 84-400)". United States Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/ofr84400.
  • Huber, NK; Bateman, PC; Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1989). Geologic map of Yosemite National Park and vicinity (USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I–1874). United States Geological Survey.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde (2000). Geologic map of the Tower Peak quadrangle, central Sierra Nevada, California (USGS Geological Investigations Series I-2697). United States Geological Survey.
  • Wahrhaftig, Clyde; Stock, Greg M.; McCracken, Reba G.; Sasnett, Peri; Cyr, Andrew J. (2019). "Extent of the Last Glacial Maximum (Tioga) Glaciation in Yosemite National Park and Vicinity, California". Scientific Investigations Map. United States Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/sim3414. S2CID 199092600. Retrieved Aug 12, 2019.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Curtis, Garniss (1996). "Memorial to Clyde Wahrhaftig (1919-1994) (Geological Society of America Memorials, v 27)" (PDF). Geological Society of America. Retrieved 6 Sep 2019.
  2. ^ Moore, James G. (2000). Exploring the Highest Sierra. Stanford University Press. p. xiii. ISBN 978-0-8047-3647-3.
  3. ^ a b c Christensen, Mark; Curtis, Garniss; Sloan, Doris (2005). . Earth and Planetary Sciences, UC Berkeley. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 17 Aug 2019.
  4. ^ McPhee, John (1998). Annals of the Former World (paperback ed.). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 574.
  5. ^ Wahrhaftig, Clyde (1984). A Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonic Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco (Revised ed.). American Geophysical Union.
  6. ^ "Streetcar2Subduction". www.agu.org. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  7. ^ "A Streetcar for the Digital Age". Eos. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  8. ^ Kamiya, Gary (2014). Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco (Chapter 25,"Streetcar to Subduction"). Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-62040-126-2.
  9. ^ a b c d "Presentation of the Distinguished Career Award to Clyde Wahrhaftig" (PDF). Quaternary Geologist and Geomorphologist (Newsletter of the GSA "Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology" Division). 30 (1): 4–6. 1990. Retrieved 22 Oct 2019.
  10. ^ . www.bnl.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  11. ^ "Clyde Wahrhaftig; Author and Geologist at Interior Department". Los Angeles Times. April 11, 1994. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  12. ^ . Geological Society of America. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  13. ^ a b Glen, William (1982). The Road to Jaramillo. Stanford University Press. pp. 156–164. ISBN 978-0-8047-1119-7.
  14. ^ Clyde Wahrhaftig; Greg M. Stock; Reba G. McCracken; Peri Sasnett; Andrew J. Cyr (2019). "Extent of the Last Glacial Maximum (Tioga) Glaciation in Yosemite National Park and Vicinity, California". Scientific Investigations Map. United States Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/sim3414. S2CID 199092600. Retrieved Aug 12, 2019.

External links edit

February 16, 2024
clyde, wahrhaftig, clyde, wahrhaftig, december, 1919, april, 1994, american, geologist, worked, united, states, geological, survey, taught, university, california, berkeley, research, areas, included, alaska, sierra, nevada, california, coast, ranges, also, kn. Clyde A Wahrhaftig December 1 1919 April 6 1994 was an American geologist who worked for the United States Geological Survey and taught at the University of California at Berkeley 1 His research areas included Alaska the Sierra Nevada and the California Coast Ranges 2 He is also known for his field guides to the geology of San Francisco and the Bay Area Clyde A WahrhaftigBorn 1919 12 01 December 1 1919Fresno CaliforniaDiedApril 6 1994 1994 04 07 aged 74 San Francisco CaliforniaAlma materCaltech Bachelors degree Harvard University PhD AwardsKirk Bryan Award Geological Society of America Distinguished Career AwardScientific careerFieldsGeology GeomorphologyInstitutionsUS Geological Survey 1941 1994 University of California Berkeley 1960 1982 Contents 1 Biography 2 Scientific work 3 Publications 4 References 5 External linksBiography editWahrhaftig was born and raised in Fresno California He earned a bachelor s degree in geology at Caltech in 1941 and a Ph D in geology at Harvard in 1953 He worked for the US Geological Survey USGS as a field geologist from 1941 until his death the bulk of his USGS work was in Alaska 1 Starting in 1960 he also taught in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of California Berkeley During his tenure at Berkeley he started his researches in the Sierra Nevada 1 When heart issues began to affect his physical activities in the mid 1980s he shifted his research to the nearby California coast range 3 His interest in environmental issues led to him taking the position of Chair and Director of the new Environmental Sciences interdepartmental undergraduate major in 1975 He retired from UC Berkeley in 1982 1 In the late 1960s Wahrhaftig took an active role in trying to get minority and female students active in the earth sciences He was also active in environmentally based community projects working extensively in the Bolinas and Tomales Bay areas 1 Wahrhaftig was a dedicated user of public transportation partially motivated by his concern about the environment impact of fossil fuels 3 He eschewed automobiles and airplanes and routinely traveled by sea to his field work in Alaska He continued to use horse pack trains while working in the field for as long as the USGS permitted it His support of public transportation also helped him fulfill his commitment to making geology accessible to the public by writing field guides that could be understood by laymen and did not require long trips by car to see the relevant sites Some of his most popular field guides include Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonic Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco 4 A Walker s Guide to the Geology of San Francisco and The Hayward Fault in Hayward and Fremont via BART Wahrhaftig was also the co author of two geology textbooks 5 Streetcar to Subduction has been revisited in digital form with a Google Earth based online field trip guide series Streetcar2Subduction 6 released in December 2019 at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the original book and the 100th anniversary of Wahrhaftig s birth 7 Wahrhaftig spent most of his career as a closeted homosexual but he came out as a gay man during his acceptance speech for the Geological Society of America s Distinguished Career Award in 1989 8 9 He had a close personal and professional relationship with the geophysicist Allan Cox that lasted until Cox s death in 1987 10 Wahrhaftig died of heart failure in San Francisco at the age of 74 11 Scientific work editWahrhaftig made significant scientific contributions to the field of geology his work is credited with inspiring the research of many colleagues and students 3 He was known for his systematic and meticulous field observations 9 His 1959 paper on Alaskan rock glaciers co authored with Allan Cox inspired a world wide surge in research on rock glaciers 9 Wahrhaftig s 1965 paper Stepped Topography of the Southern Sierra Nevada was awarded the Geological Society of America GSA Kirk Bryan Award 12 He was one of the first Bay Area scientists to bring the role of plate tectonics in causing earthquakes to public awareness He was also a pioneer in applying geological science to environmental problems with a particular focus on forest management practices e g effects of logging on soil erosion He was appointed to the California Board of Forestry in 1975 where he advocated for forest practices legislation that took a long term perspective on geomorphological effects of forest management Wahrhaftig was given the GSA s Distinguished Career Award in 1989 Wahrhaftig was largely responsible for paleomagnetist Allan Cox entering the field of geology and considered this to be one of his major accomplishments in the field 9 In 1950 and 1951 Wahrhaftig hired Cox then an undergraduate chemistry major to be a field assistant in Alaska 13 Cox later described the rock glacier research as one of the most interesting and exciting projects he d ever worked on the rock glacier work also brought Cox s attention to the issue of rock dating After 2 years of army service during which Wahrhaftig continued to send him geology books Cox returned to the university and changed his area of study to geophysics The rock glacier work was published as Wahrhaftig and Cox 1959 13 Wahrhaftig and his graduate students at UC Berkeley spent decades mapping the effects of the Tioga glaciation in the Yosemite National Park area but his map was not finished at the time of his death in 1994 He left a bequest for its completion and the task was taken up by Yosemite Park geologist Greg Stock The completed map was published online in 2019 14 Publications editWahrhaftig Clyde 1949 The frost moved rubbles of Jumbo Dome and their significance in the Pleistocene chronology of Alaska Journal of Geology 57 2 216 231 Bibcode 1949JG 57 216W doi 10 1086 625598 S2CID 73621673 Wahrhaftig Clyde 1958 Quaternary Geology of the Nenana River and adjacent parts of the Alaska Range Alaska USGS Professional Paper 393A PDF United States Geological Survey Wahrhaftig Clyde Allan Cox 1959 Rock Glaciers in the Alaska Range Geological Society of America Bulletin 70 4 383 Bibcode 1959GSAB 70 383W doi 10 1130 0016 7606 1959 70 383 RGITAR 2 0 CO 2 ISSN 0016 7606 Wahrhaftig Clyde 1965 Physiographic divisions of Alaska PDF 3rd ed United States Geological Survey Wahrhaftig Clyde Birman JH 1965 The Quaternary of the Pacific mountain system in California In Wright HE Frey DG eds The Quaternary of the United States Princeton University Press pp 299 340 Wahrhaftig Clyde 1965 Stepped Topography of the Southern Sierra Nevada California Geological Society of America Bulletin 76 10 1165 Bibcode 1965GSAB 76 1165W doi 10 1130 0016 7606 1965 76 1165 STOTSS 2 0 CO 2 ISSN 0016 7606 Bateman Paul amp Wahrhaftig Clyde 1966 Geology of the Sierra Nevada In Bailey Edgar ed Geology of Northern California Bulletin 190 California Division of Mines and Geology pp 105 172 Wahrhaftig C Wagner JR 1972 The Geologic Setting of Tomales Bay In Corwin R ed Tomales Bay Environmental Study The Conservation Foundation Washington DC Wahrhaftig Clyde 1984 Structure of the Marin Headlands Block California A Progress Report In Blake M C ed Franciscan Geology of Northern California SEPM pp 31 50 Wahrhaftig Clyde 1984 A Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonic Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco Revised ed American Geophysical Union Wahrhaftig Clyde 1984 Geomorphology and glacial geology Wolverton and Crescent Meadow areas and vicinity Sequoia National Park California Open File Report 84 400 United States Geological Survey doi 10 3133 ofr84400 Huber NK Bateman PC Wahrhaftig Clyde 1989 Geologic map of Yosemite National Park and vicinity USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I 1874 United States Geological Survey Wahrhaftig Clyde 2000 Geologic map of the Tower Peak quadrangle central Sierra Nevada California USGS Geological Investigations Series I 2697 United States Geological Survey Wahrhaftig Clyde Stock Greg M McCracken Reba G Sasnett Peri Cyr Andrew J 2019 Extent of the Last Glacial Maximum Tioga Glaciation in Yosemite National Park and Vicinity California Scientific Investigations Map United States Geological Survey doi 10 3133 sim3414 S2CID 199092600 Retrieved Aug 12 2019 References edit a b c d e Curtis Garniss 1996 Memorial to Clyde Wahrhaftig 1919 1994 Geological Society of America Memorials v 27 PDF Geological Society of America Retrieved 6 Sep 2019 Moore James G 2000 Exploring the Highest Sierra Stanford University Press p xiii ISBN 978 0 8047 3647 3 a b c Christensen Mark Curtis Garniss Sloan Doris 2005 Clyde Wahrhaftig 1919 1994 Earth and Planetary Sciences UC Berkeley Archived from the original on 1 February 2018 Retrieved 17 Aug 2019 McPhee John 1998 Annals of the Former World paperback ed Farrar Straus and Giroux p 574 Wahrhaftig Clyde 1984 A Streetcar to Subduction and Other Plate Tectonic Trips by Public Transport in San Francisco Revised ed American Geophysical Union Streetcar2Subduction www agu org Retrieved 2019 12 07 A Streetcar for the Digital Age Eos 6 December 2019 Retrieved 2019 12 07 Kamiya Gary 2014 Cool Gray City of Love 49 Views of San Francisco Chapter 25 Streetcar to Subduction Bloomsbury ISBN 978 1 62040 126 2 a b c d Presentation of the Distinguished Career Award to Clyde Wahrhaftig PDF Quaternary Geologist and Geomorphologist Newsletter of the GSA Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division 30 1 4 6 1990 Retrieved 22 Oct 2019 Clyde Wahrhaftig amp Allan Cox www bnl gov Archived from the original on 2017 10 20 Retrieved 2019 08 16 Clyde Wahrhaftig Author and Geologist at Interior Department Los Angeles Times April 11 1994 Retrieved 9 May 2013 QG amp G Awards KBA Geological Society of America Archived from the original on 28 August 2015 Retrieved 9 May 2013 a b Glen William 1982 The Road to Jaramillo Stanford University Press pp 156 164 ISBN 978 0 8047 1119 7 Clyde Wahrhaftig Greg M Stock Reba G McCracken Peri Sasnett Andrew J Cyr 2019 Extent of the Last Glacial Maximum Tioga Glaciation in Yosemite National Park and Vicinity California Scientific Investigations Map United States Geological Survey doi 10 3133 sim3414 S2CID 199092600 Retrieved Aug 12 2019 External links editFinding Aid to the Clyde Wahrhaftig Papers at The Bancroft Library Berkeley Alumni Magazine article on Wahrhaftig s life Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Clyde Wahrhaftig amp oldid 1199063034, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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