Sir Kingsley Charles DunhamFRS FGS FRSE (2 January 1910 – 5 April 2001) was one of the leading British geologists and mineralogists of the 20th century. He was aProfessor ofGeology at theUniversity of Durham from 1950–71. He was laterProfessor Emeritus from 1967–2001. He wasdirector of theBritish Geological Survey from 1967–75.[1]
Dunham was born inSturminster Newton,Dorset and moved at an early age with his family toDurham. He attended theDurham Johnston School (then a Grammar School) and then won a Foundation Scholarship toHatfield College, Durham, graduating with a first-class degree in Geology in 1930 at a time whenArthur Holmes was professor.[2]
A gifted musician, Dunham wasOrgan Scholar during his undergraduate days. Following graduation, he pursued research into thePennine Orefield of theNorth of England, under the supervision ofArthur Holmes. He graduated with aPhD in 1932 on the subject of Ore deposits of the north Pennines.[3]
Dunham studied atHarvard University under aCommonwealth Fund Fellowship, which led to a master's degree.[2] He returned to the UK as a geologist for theBritish Geological Survey, working on the iron ores ofCumbria. This came in useful during the Second World War where he was involved in the investigation of the mineral resources of theNorth of England. This work was later published in the classic volume,The Geology of the North Pennine Orefield.
Dunham returned toDurham University in 1950 asProfessor of Geology. During his tenure he supervised the drilling of the Rookhope borehole discovering, as predicted by his colleagueMartin Bott, the presence of a concealedgranite underlying thePennines.[4] He was created a Fellow ofSt John's College, Durham.
In 1967, his career culminated in accepting the directorship of theBritish Geological Survey, and like his time at Durham, he successfully guided that institution through a period of rapid growth into areas such as geophysics, oceanography and geochemistry. He wasknighted in 1972.[2]
Following retirement in 1975, Dunham again returned to Durham asEmeritus Professor, publishing further work on themineralogy of theNorth of England.[2]
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Kingsley Dunham received many honours. He was elected aFellow of theRoyal Society in 1955 (and also served on its council) and received itsRoyal Medal in 1970. He was President of the Yorkshire Geological Society between 1958–59, and was awarded the Sorby Medal of that Society in 1963.[5]He was awarded the Bolitho Medal of theRoyal Geological Society of Cornwall in 1973.
In 1973, he gave the presidential address to theBritish Association meeting in Canterbury.[6] Dunham also receivedhonorary doctorates from more than ten universities, both at home and abroad. He was awarded theWollaston Medal of theGeological Society of London in 1976.[7]
Between 1990 and 2012, the British Geological Survey's headquarters complex, inKeyworth,Nottinghamshire, was named theKingsley Dunham Centre in his honour. (It is now the Environmental Science Centre.) The relocation and consolidation of the BGS's various, disparate branches to the Keyworth site was one of the lasting legacies of Dunham's time as Director. The Centre opened in 1976, shortly after Dunham's retirement.
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In his later years his eyesight failed him until he was totally blind. However, he still attended the weekly Durham meetings (aided by his friend and colleague Dr Tony Johnson), held by the Arthur Holmes society.
Dunham's son, Ansel, who predeceased him, was Professor of Geology at theUniversity of Hull and theUniversity of Leicester.
