Mary C. Rabbitt

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Mary Collins Rabbitt (January 25, 1915 – August 8, 2002) born Mary Priscilla Collins, was an America geophysicist, administrator, and historian for the United States Geological Survey (USGS).^[1]

Alongside her contributions to the USGS,^[1] Rabbit revitalized the editorial process of scientific publications. She published seven works, including A Brief History of the U.S. Geological Survey,^[2] three volumes of Minerals, Lands, and Geology for the Common Defense and General Welfare ("Volume 1, Before 1879” (published in 1979), “Volume 2, 1879‒1904” (published in 1980), and “Volume 3, 1904‒1939” (published in 1986), and a fourth Volume 4 being published in 2015. The fourth edition was begun by Rabbitt, but was "completed the coauthor Clifford M. Nelson, a geologist with the USGS since 1976" )^[3] [, John Wesley Powell’s Exploration of the Colorado River, John Wesley Powell: Soldier, Explorer, Scientist, and The United States Geological Survey, 1879-1989.^[4] In John Wesley Powell’s Exploration of the Colorado River, Rabbitt describes U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer, John Wesley Powell's, discoveries in the Colorado Plateau.^[5] She describes the depositional processes in the Grand Canyon as the Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon, eroding the canyon walls and exposing layers of rock and fossil evidence recording a span of approximately two billion years.^[5] In Minerals, Lands, and Geology for the Common Defense and General Welfare Volume 2, 1879-1904, Rabbit outlines how the development of public land, mapping policies, and the development of mineral resources in the United States shaped the maturation of the field of geology.^[6] Volume 3 describes the USGS' interest in reviewing basic research from the 1904 conservation movement till strategic mineral studies. She outlines the struggles researchers faced during the intervention of the Federal government for conservation and public land classification. She describes how World War 1 and the subsequent economic crash in 1929 increased strain on the studies. She also conveyed how the changing economies of coal and agriculture and the need to study water and minerals put excess strain on the Survey.^[7]

Career[]

In 1937, after earning her bachelor of arts in geological sciences from Radcliffe, Mary C. Rabbitt worked alongside Perry Bylerly as a research assistant at the University of California. Continuing her career as a research assistant she would return to Radcliffe to work for Dr. Kirtley Mather. During the second world war she moved her career to Tennessee to serve at the Oak Ridge Observatory working with the Office of Scientific Research and Development on explosion seismology. After the war, Rabbitt assisted the Allied groups, moving to Japan to do so. Mary later joined her husband working for the USGS in 1949, headlining the Geophysical Abstracts Unit. She worked as the Branch's Assistant Chief during the years of 1950-1957. During this time, and even after, she worked alongside branch chief James Balsley as his assistant on various projects. The two of them worked to further articulate the concepts of tectonics, geologic time scale, and the impact of factors such as stress and heat on stratification. This led to a greater understanding of various topics including magnetic-ore deposits, global tectonics and the behaviour of rocks and soils under various temperatures and pressures.^[8] After her retirement in 1978, Rabbitt would carry on with her passion for geology by publishing a 3-volume history and assessment of federal earth-science and mapping policies. ^[9]These texts covered the late 18th century and early 19th century reviewing topics in American history such as politics, economics and democracy through the lens of geologic history, minerals and mining. Rabbitt also provides information about geography, topography and palaeontology. ^[10]

Personal life[]

Mary Collins Rabbitt, née Mary Priscilla Collins, was born on January 25th, 1915. She is of Irish heritage and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, in the suburb of Canton.^[1] Mary died on August 8th, 2002,^[9] in Washington, DC, at the age of 87. Although she did not have any children, she is survived by her niece and two nephews: Patricia M. Leradi, John A. Collins III, and Michael J. Collins.^[8] At the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Mary explored the geological sciences, most notably looking into nuclear explosive’s seismology. While Rabbitt studied at Radcliffe, it was against Harvard University’s policies to allow students studying at Radcliffe also to attend classes at Harvard. Espen Larsen, a professor at Harvard, allowed Rabbitt to work in his office under his tutelage. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Geological Sciences, Mary began working as a teaching fellow and research assistant to Perry Byerly at the University of California at Berkeley. Her work was acknowledged by The Geological Society of America's History^[1] for aiding in the rejuvenation of systematic research methods when studying the earth. Two years after graduating, Mary returned to Radcliffe once again working as a teaching fellow as well as an assistant seismologist. After marrying John Charles ("Jack")  Rabbitt,^[8] a geologist with the USGS in Washington, DC, in 1947, Mary joined the U.S. Coast Guard and Geodetic Survey's seismology branch. Mary would later join her husband in working for the USGS in 1949, headlining the Geophysical Abstracts Unit. Throughout her life, Mary was part of the "Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, the Seismological Society, and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists." She would then retire in 1978.^[8] According to Rabbitt, the study of geology was first differentiated from the study of natural history at a mining school in Freiberg, Saxony, but the science of geology began to advance once the United States Federal Government began employing geologists to evaluate mineral resources and classify mineral lands.^[6]

Accomplishments[]

Her work was acknowledged by "The Geological Society of America's History" ^[1]for aiding in the rejuvenation of systematic research methods when studying the earth. In 1988, Mary won the "department of the Interior’s Distinguished Service Award." The Mary C. Rabbit History and Philosophy of Geology Award, although first established in 1981, was later renamed in her honor in 2005 is awarded each year to individuals "exceptional scholarly contributions of fundamental importance to our understanding of the history of the geological sciences."^[11]

Works published[]

Mary C. Rabbitt had several works published throughout her career, including A Brief History of the U.S. Geological Survey^[12] published in 1986,  and three volumes of Minerals, Lands, and Geology^[13]for the Common Defense and General Welfare. An excerpt from the preface of the U.S. Constitution inspired the titles of these volumes. Volume 1, Before 1879” (published in 1979),

• “Volume 2, 1879‒1904” (published in 1980) outlines how the development of public land, mapping policies, and the development of mineral resources in the United States shaped the maturation of the field of geology.
• “Volume 3, 1904‒1939” (published in 1986). This volume outlines the USGS' study into the research obtained from the 1904 conservation movement until the studies on strategic minerals. Rabbitt outlines the struggles researchers faced during the Federal government’s intervention for conservation and public land classification. She describes how World War 1 and the subsequent economic crash in 1929 increased strain on these studies. She also conveyed how the changing economies of coal, agriculture, and the need to study water and minerals put excess strain on the Survey.

Volume 4 was published in 2015. Rabbitt started this edition, but "completed by* coauthor Clifford M. Nelson, a geologist with the USGS since 1976[3]".) John Wesley Powell’s Exploration of the Colorado River, John Wesley Powell: Soldier, Explorer, Scientist, and The United States Geological Survey.^[14] In the fourth volume of Minerals, Lands, and Geology for the Common Defence and General Welfare, Rabbitt describes the Grand Canyon’s depositional processes. As the Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon, it erodes the canyon walls and exposes layers of rock and fossil evidence recording a span of approximately two billion years.

References[]