Memorial to Gordon H. Wood, Jr.1919-1986

RALPH L. MILLER5215 Abingdon Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20816

JACK H. MEDLINU.S. Geological Survey, 956 National Center, Reston, Virginia 22092

Gordon H. Wood, Jr., died May 22, 1986, at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, after a long illness. He was born in Poteau, Oklahoma, but while a child his parents moved the family to Albuquerque, New Mexico. After completing high school in Albuquerque, Gordon entered the University of New Mexico where he fell under the spell of Professors Vincent Kelley and Stuart Northrop, and decided to make geology his life work. He received the B.A. degree in geology in 1941, but his graduate studies at the University were interrupted by World War II, during which time he began a two-year assignment with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Subse­quently, he joined the U.S. Geological Survey, an association that continued until retirement, shortly before his death.

Gordon’s career-long involvement with research on fossil fuels made him one of the Survey’s most distinguished coal

geologists of the modem era, worthy to join the ranks of Marius R. Campbell and David White. He was assigned first to the Survey’s Albuquerque office and participated in stratigraphic and structural investigations in the southwestern U.S. under the dynamic leadership of Charles B. Read. Within a few years, Gordon became party chief of research investigations focused on assessing the coal, oil, and gas potential of geologic basins throughout the Colorado-New Mexico area. In 1953, Gordon assumed management and scientific leadership of the USGS field office in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, where he planned, implemented, and supervised geologic and resource investigations of the structurally complex anthracite basins. The detailed mapping, the assimilation and synthesis of a vast amount of mine data, and subsurface reconstructions make his publications on the anthracite region definitive, classic contributions to the understanding of Appalachian structure and stratigraphy. He continued to study the region for many years after his transfer in 1958 to USGS headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, in addition to his research, Gordon served on important national and international committees involved with the acceleration of energy resource development and the abatement of associated environmental problems, activities that continued throughout his career. In1972, Gordon was appointed chief of the newly created Branch of Coal Resources; under his leadership it became the foremost federal effort engaged in coal research. Gordon broadened the scope of USGS coal programs by ushering in intensive investigations of the quality and geochemistry ofU.S. coal resources, and the environmental impacts associated with mining and utilizing these coal resources. He also pioneered the installation and development of a computerized data base for U.S. coal. In 1977, Gordon resumed active research and prosecuted a variety of scientific investigations into national and international coal-resource problems, an effort that continued unabated until his death. During this period, he also chaired committees concerned with coal, including the Executive Committee of the World Coal Resources and Reserves Data Bank Service of the International Energy Agency in London. This data bank service has gained worldwide recognition as a result of Gordon’s leadership, confidence, and competence in the field of coal resources.

Gordon’s scientific output was prodigious, with a bibliography that includes more than a hundred titles. His earlier publications were based largely on geologic mapping in the Rocky

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Mountain region, an under-appreciated skill that he developed painstakingly, both in field observations and in their rendition. Structural complexities intrigued him, and his subsurface cross sections, based on surface-derived information and all available subsurface data, are masterful, logical reconstructions; most of them will surely withstand future testing, as additional subsurface geologic and geophysical evidence makes refinements possible. This is particularly true in the anthracite region, where some large, modern strip mines reveal almost unbelievable contortions and displacements of the bedding. Later in his career, Gordon turned his attention to the broad aspects of coal resources and the means of measuring and evaluating them regionally, nationally, and internationally. The titles in the selected bibliography bear witness to the breadth and depth of his understanding of coal resources in many parts of the world.

Two recent publications highlight Gordon’s distinguished career and attest to his scientific versatility. The first was preparation of USGS Circular 891, “Coal Resource Classification System of the U.S. Geological Survey.” This publication, which represents a dramatic improvement over previous classification systems, benefited immensely from his vast experience with, and knowledge of, the geologic, technical, and practical problems in estimating and assessing coal resources. The system has received widespread national acclaim and acceptance, and has also been adopted as the standard system in many foreign countries. Gordon’s second eminent contribution is a new map and accompanying report entitled “Coal Map of North America”. For this publication, Gordon synthesized and assessed the depositional framework of coal deposits continent-wide and summarized the information on coal and coal environments with clarity and sophistication. He also devised resource criteria to discriminate between identified-hypothetical, onshore speculative, and offshore- speculative coal deposits. As a consequence, this publication provides a powerful and critical new tool for guiding coal exploration on the North American continent. He undertook the compilation of a similar map and report for the South American continent that was well advanced when he was stricken. With these recent major contributions and more than 115 earlier publications, Gordon achieved recognition by his peers in industry, academia, and government as a premier research scientist on coal geology and on the distribution, occurrence, quality, and quantity of North and South American coal resources.

It is a measure of Gordon’s sense of fair play that he was free with expressions of commendation, and always gave credit wherever he thought it was due, at times perhaps even more widely or lavishly than deserved. This trait shows in his bibliography; many of the publications of which he is senior author have one or more co-authors. He may have learned this scientific generosity from his early mentors, Stuart Northrop, Vincent Kelley, and Charles Read, who made him co-author of several of the early publications in his bibliography. Regardless of source, generosity in matters large and small was a habitual part of Gordon’s personality.

In the course of his career, Gordon received numerous awards for scientific investigations and technical accomplishments from several professional societies and organizations. He received the Meritorious Service Award (1981) and the Distinguished Service Award (1986) from the Depart­ment of the Interior; the latter is the most prestigious award given by the Department. In 1983, the Eastern Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists granted him its Distinguished Service Award. In addition, he was invited to speak at many scientific meetings and recently was keynote speaker on coal geology at the 1983 UNESCO Regional Workshop (Southeast Asia) held in Seoul, Korea. At the 1984 national meeting of the Geological Society of America, a symposium and a special publication entitled “Paleoenvironmental and tectonic controls in coal-forming basins of the U.S.” were dedicated to Gordon. At the 1985 national meeting of the Coal Geology Division of the Geological Society of America, he received the prestigious Gilbert H. Cady Award.Throughout his professional career, Gordon served with distinction on numerous government and professional society committees and he chaired several of them. In the international field, he was involved in formulating government-to-government research and exchange programs. He organized and led field trips for

MEMORIAL TO GORDON H. W OOD, JR. 3geological societies. He also organized symposia, workshops, and technical sessions for national and international organizations.

Gordon will be remembered not only for his scientific achievements but for his great compassion for his fellow man. He always took time to listen, empathize, and offer guidance, drawn from a great wealth of knowledge and experience, to all who came to him for aid and advice. Many in the Geological Survey and elsewhere have benefited by discussing their technical problems with him, and many USGS authors have learned from him how (and how not) to organize and present their geologic findings for publication. In addition he was a conscientious and painstaking technical critic and editor of USGS and outside manuscripts.

Gordon was a voracious reader, and absorbed and remembered far more of what he read than most of us. As a result he was well informed on a wide range of subjects: geology of course, but also current events, geography, health, sports (especially the Washington Redskins), and many others. He loved a good argument and would discuss with anyone matters of mutual interest, as long as his respondent(s) cared to continue.

Other than reading, Gordon had no consuming hobbies, though he did spend many weekends exploring Chesapeake Bay in a large cabin cruiser, frequently with guests aboard. When exploration palled, fishing took over.

Gordon spoke in a forceful, sometimes brusque manner. All who knew him realized, however, that this habit overlay a considerate, kind, warm-hearted personality that generated affection and respect among his associates. The profession of geology has lost one of its outstanding practitioners, and many of us a close friend.

Gordon is survived by his wife, Eleanor; daughter, Louise Revel of Dallas; and two grandchildren.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF G. H. WOOD, JR.1947 (with Read, C. B.) Distribution and correlation of Pennsylvanian rocks and late Paleozoic

sedimentary basins of northern New Mexico: Journal of Geology, v. 55, no. 3, p. 220-236.1953 (and Northrop, S. A., and Griggs, R. L.) Geology and stratigraphy of Koehler and Mount

Laughlin quadrangles and parts of Abbott and Springer quadrangles, eastern Colfax County, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Oil and Gas Investigations, Map OM-141 (2 sheets).

1956 (with Johnson, R. B.) Stratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks of Raton basin, Colorado and New Mexico: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 40, no. 4, p. 707-721.

____ (and others) Subdivision of Pottsville Formation in Southern Anthracite field, Pennsylvania:American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 40, no. 11, p. 2669-2688.

1957 (and Johnson, R. B., and Dixon, G. H.) Geology and coal resources of the Starkville- Weston area, Las Animas County, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1951, 68 p.

1960 (with Gray, Carlyle, and others of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey) Geologic map of Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Geological and Topographic Survey (2 sheets).

1962 (and Trexler, J. P., and Arndt, H. H.) Pennsylvanian rocks of the southern part of the Anthracite region of eastern Pennsylvania: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 450-C, p. C39-C42.

____ (and Trexler, J. P., Soren, Julian, and Yelenosky, Andy) Geology of rocks of Pennsylvanianage in the southern half of the Tremont quadrangle, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1112-F, p. 181-208.

1965 (and others) Stream pollution from coal mining in Appalachia: U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report.

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____ (and Trexler, J. P., Kehn, T. M., Soren, Julian, and Yelenosky, Andy) Geologic maps of thewest-central part of the Southern Anthracite field, Pennsylvania, consisting of ten maps and explanation: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Geologic Map 1-529,4 sheets.

1969 (and Trexler, J. P., and Kehn, T. M.) Geology of the west-central part of the Southern Anthracite field and adjoining areas, Pennsylvania: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 602, 150 p.

1970 (and Bergin, M. J.) Structural controls of the Anthracite region, Pennsylvania, in Fisher,G. W., Pettijohn, F. J., Reed, J. C., and Weaver, K. N., eds., Studies of Appalachian Geology; Central and Southern: New York, Interscience Publishers, John Wiley and Sons, p. 147-160.

1973-1974 (and Mapel, W. J., as team leaders) Proposed plan of mining and reclamation, Big Sky Mine, Peabody Coal Company, Coal Lease M-15965, Colstrip, Montana; Preliminry Draft, Draft, and Final Statement: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior.

1979 (and Medlin, J. H.) Need for developing world-wide system of estimation and reporting coal resources and reserves [abs. and report], in United Nations symposium on world coal prospects, Oct. 15-23, 1979, Katowice, Poland: v. 4, p. 185-203.

1983 (and Kehn, T. M., Carter, M. D., and Culbertson, W. C.) Coal resource classification system of the U.S. Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 891, 65 p.

____ World coal exploration and development, in Final report of the Korean NationalCommittee for UNESCO and Seoul National University: UNESCO regional workshop on coal geology in Southeast Asia, October 3-10, 1983, Seoul, Korea, p. 3-28.

1985 (and Simon, J.) World coal to the year 2,000: Compte Rendus, Ninth International Congress of Carboniferous Stratigraphy and Geology, v. 4, p. 19-29.

1986 (and Kehn, T. M., and Eggleston, J. R.) Depositional and structural history of the Pennsylvania Anthracite region, in Lyons, P. C., and Rice, C. L., eds., Paleoenvironmental and tectonic controls in coal-forming basins in the United States: Geological Society of America Special Paper 210, p. 31-47.

1987 (and Bour, W. V., Ill) Coal fields and occurrences in North America, Northern Caribbean Islands, Greenland and Iceland: U.S. Geological Survey map and pamphlet,scale 1:5,000,000 (in press).

Printed in U.S.A. 8/87