Biographical Memoirs Volume 45 (1974) / Chapter Skim
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Joseph Hoover Mackin
Joseph Hoover Mackin
Pages 262-277
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From page 263... ...
Joseph Hoover Mackin was born November 16, 1905, in Oswego, in upstate New York. He was the youngest of seven children of William David Mackin and Catherine Hoover Mackin.
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From page 264... ...
His doctoral thesis dealt with the origin of surface features of the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming. In it he introduced the concept of lateral planation by a stream essentially at grade, producing gravel-mantled terraces as the stream gradually deepens its valley, as opposed to formation of terraces by stream dissection of earlier alluvial plains.
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From page 265... ...
He became something of a bete noire to engineers, but to their credit it must be pointed out that he was called upon often for advice. As a small but specific example of his influence, he pointed out that the engineering plan to "save" Ediz Hook, a scenic sandspit on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula, if put into effect, might well result in the complete destruction of Ediz Hook in the next major storm.
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From page 266... ...
As part of the Survey's wartime emphasis on sources of strategic minerals, Mackin studied quicksilver deposits near Morton, Washington, and placer deposits containing radioactive minerals in Idaho. His major effort, however, which continued after the end of World War II, was on the iron deposits of the Iron Springs district of Utah.
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From page 267... ...
Aside from its contribution to granite tectonics, this study remains perhaps the only documented example in world literature of the exact genetic relation between an igneous intrusion and an associated hydrothermal ore deposit. Mackin's work in the Iron Springs district led him by progressive stages, involving several of his students, into the broader problems of the volcanic and structural history of the Great Basin of Utah and Nevada.
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From page 268... ...
This method of problem-solving involves a close interplay between observation and deductive reasoning, with emphasis on the use of logic to establish multiple working hypotheses and ultimate definition of the critical diagnostic data required for choice of conclusions. Mackin viewed with considerable skepticism what he referred to as the "empirical" (or "engineering")
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From page 269... ...
In his 1 ~ famous—infamous, to some—course in map interpretation, he surprised students continually with an "A" grade for the wrong answer reached by careful analysis and reasoning, and a "C" or worse for the right answer based on an inadequate or improper approach. Logical thinking was paramount, and of necessity the survivor of "map interp" acquired both the ability to think clearly and a thick skin—valuable assets for his professional years ahead.
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From page 270... ...
Geological Survey team sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and he initiated the idea of a sampling tube to be driven into the lunar soil. Throughout his career Mackin was a sought-after speaker; he was a guest lecturer at many universities, and he was the Distinguished Lecturer for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in 1953 and National Lecturer for Sigma Xi in 1963.
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From page 271... ...
He is survived by his widow, Esther Fisk Mackin; a daughter, Barbara Catherine Barker, wife of Dr. Daniel Barker, of the geology department of the University of Texas; a son, Robert Fisk Mackin, a design engineer; and two granddaughters.
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From page 272... ...
Rept. = United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Trace Elements Memorandum Reports Wash.
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From page 273... ...
Some Structural Features of the Intrusions in the Iron Springs District. Guidebook to the Geology of Utah No.
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From page 274... ...
982-E:121-51. Reconnaissance geology of placer deposits containing radioactive minerals in the Bear Valley district, Valley County, Idaho.
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From page 275... ...
Geological field investigation in early Apollo manned lunar landing missions. United States Geological Survey, Report to NASA.
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From page 276... ...
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS 1969 Bull.
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