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Dr. Richard Lee Armstrong | |
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| Born | August 4, 1937 |
| Died | August 9, 1991 (1991-08-10) (aged 54) Vancouver, British Columbia Canada |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Known for | Crustal recycling |
| Awards | Killam Prize Logan Medal(1990) |
| Scientific career | |
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| Institutions | Yale University University of British Columbia |
| Doctoral advisor | Karl Turekian |
| Doctoral students | Randall R. Parrish |
Richard Lee ArmstrongFRSC (August 4, 1937 – August 9, 1991) was an American-Canadian scientist who was an expert in the fields ofradiogenicisotope geochemistry andgeochronology,geochemical evolution of the earth,geology of theAmerican Cordillera, and large-magnitudecrustal extension. He published over 170 scientific papers.
Armstrong was born inSeattle, Washington. In 1955, he moved toNew Haven, Connecticut, to attendYale University. He obtained his BSc in 1959 and a PhD in 1964. He stayed at Yale as assistant and associate professor in the geology department until 1973. While he was a Yale professor, he took two leaves, the first in 1963–1964 on a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at theUniversity of Berne, and in 1968–1969 as a Morse and Guggenheim Fellow at theAustralian National University andCalifornia Institute of Technology.[1]
In 1973, Armstrong moved toVancouver, British Columbia, Canada to be an associate professor at theUniversity of British Columbia. He was eventually made a full professor. In 1979, he became a Canadian citizen.
Armstrong studied thechronology of magmatism,metamorphism, andtectonics of western North America. He utilized several methodologies, includingPotassium-Argon,Rubidium-Strontium,Uranium-Lead andNeodymium-Samarium to obtainisotopic data.
Armstrong's early theories guided research for a generation. His views were controversial and contested by many prominent isotope geochemists. It took decades for other scientists to accept his ideas. Before he died, Armstrong was vindicated through the recognition he received for his model of crustal recycling at the 1990 ICOG meeting inCanberra after presenting a paper on "The Persistent Myth of Crustal Growth".[1]
Most of Armstrong's effort was spent systematically building an enormous database on the geochronology of the North American Cordillera. This database highlighted the magmatic evolution of the region and continues to provide a wealth of information to the scientific community.[1]
Armstrong was an active member of theGeological Society of America and editorial boards for several journals. He participated in the peer review process of theNational Science Foundation and Canada'sNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. He also participated in Canada'sLithoprobe program a national geoscience research project and contributed to the development of the geological timescale, particularly the Triassic.
On August 9, 1991, Armstrong died of liver cancer, five days after his 54th birthday.
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