Edward A. "Ted" Irving (born 1927) CM, ScD, FRSC, FRS is a geologist and emeritus scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada. His studies of paleomagnetism provided the first physical evidence of the theory of continental drift. His efforts contributed to our understanding of how mountain ranges, climate, and life have evolved. Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country. ... Aquatint of a Doctor in Divinity at the University of Oxford, in the scarlet and black academic robes corresponding to his position. ... The Royal Society of Canada, (French: La Société royale du Canada) The Canadian Academy of the Sciences and Humanities, is the senior national body of distinguished Canadian scientists and scholars. ... The premises of the Royal Society in London (first four properties only). ... World geologic provinces Oceanic crust  0-20 Ma  20-65 Ma  >65 Ma Geologic provinces  Shield  Platform  Orogen  Basin  Large igneous province  Extended crust Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason))[1] is the science and study of the solid matter of a celestial body, its composition... The Geological Survey of Canada or GSC is part of the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada. ... Paleomagnetism refers to the orientation of the Earths magnetic field as it is preserved in various magnetic iron bearing minerals throughout time. ... Continental drift, first proposed as a theory by Alfred Wegener in 1912, is the movement of the Earths continents relative to each other. ...

Irving was born and raised in the Pennine Hills of northeast Lancashire, England. In 1945, he was conscripted into the British Army. Irving served in the Middle East infantry. Typical Pennine scenery. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ...

Education

In 1948, he began studying geology at Cambridge University and obtained his BA in 1951. He spent the next year at Cambridge as a research assistant in the geology and geophysics department before entering the graduate program. The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... World geologic provinces Oceanic crust  0-20 Ma  20-65 Ma  >65 Ma Geologic provinces  Shield  Platform  Orogen  Basin  Large igneous province  Extended crust Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason))[1] is the science and study of the solid matter of a celestial body, its composition... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...

He studied the history of the Earth's magnetic field and worked towards putting order to the earlier attempts to study the history beyond a few centuries. Irving used a magnetometer, recently designed by Patrick Blackett, to analyze the magnetic directions imparted to rocks by their iron minerals. He found large discrepancies between the magnetic field directions indicated by the Precambrian rock in the highlands of Scotland and the present magnetic field that extended over a period of tens of million of years. He surmised the only explanation could be that Scotland had shifted relative to the pole. During his graduate studies, Irving determined how much both Scotland and India had drifted since Precambrian times. These results confirmed the predictions Alfred Wegener had put forth in his theory of continental drift in 1912. A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength and/or direction of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the instrument. ... Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett, OM , CH , FRS (November 18, 1897–July 13, 1974) was a British experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism. ... The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian) is an informal name for the eons of the geologic timescale that came before the current Phanerozoic eon. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Alfred Wegeners theory of continental drift was widely ridiculed in his day Alfred Lothar Wegener (Berlin, November 1, 1880 – Greenland, November 2 or 3, 1930) was a German interdisciplinary scientist and meteorologist, who became famous for his theory of continental drift. ... Continental drift, first proposed as a theory by Alfred Wegener in 1912, is the movement of the Earths continents relative to each other. ...

In 1954, Irving attempted to obtain a PhD for his graduate work. Unfortunately the field was so new that his doctoral examiners were not familiar enough with the subject matter to recognize his research achievements. They refused to give him the degree. Not having a PhD did not stop him from obtaining a position as a research fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra. The Australian National University (ANU), is a university located in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. ... Canberra (pronounced [1]) is the capital city of Australia and with a population of just over 325,000, is Australias largest inland city. ...

Career

For the next ten years he studied Australia’s ancient latitudes and published around 30 papers. He was able to demonstrate the continent's southward movement since the Permian period. In 1965, he submitted some of his papers to Cambridge and obtained a ScD, the highest earned degree at the time. Latitude, denoted φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... The Permian is a geologic period that extends from about 299. ... D.Sc. ...

Irving met Sheila, his wife, while in Australia. She was a Canadian citizen. In 1964, they moved to Ottawa, Canada, and Irving began work as a research officer for Dominion Observatory with the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. In 1966, Irving returned to England to teach geophysics at the University of Leeds. He returned to Ottawa in 1967 to work as a research scientist in the Earth Physics Branch of the Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources. In 1981, Irving moved to Sidney, British Columbia, to establish a paleomagnetism laboratory at the Pacific Geoscience Centre with the Earth Physics Branch. The branch would later be incorporated into the Geological Survey of Canada. He mapped the movements of Vancouver Island and other parts of the Cordillera that have moved sideways and rotated relative to the Precambrian Canadian shield. Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario County Established 1850 as Bytown City Mayor Larry OBrien Governing body Ottawa City Council MPs / MPPs Members of Parliament (MPs) Mauril Bélanger (LPC), Paul Dewar (NDP), John Baird (CPC), Royal Galipeau (CPC), David McGuinty (LPC),Pierre Lemieux... The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university, one of the largest in the United Kingdom with over 32,000 full-time students. ... Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. ... The Geological Survey of Canada or GSC is part of the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... The Cordillera is a massive mountain range situated in the northern central part of the Philippines. ...

In 2005, Irving was semi-retired, investigating the nature of the geomagnetic field in the Precambrian to understand how the crust was being deformed and how the latitudes varied.

Irving and his wife have four children.

Honors and awards

• Awarded the Gondwanaland Gold Medal by the Mining, Geological, and Metallurgical Society of India
• 1973, made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• 1975, awarded the Logan Medal by the Geological Association of Canada
• 1979, made a fellow of the Royal Society of London
• 1996, awarded the Arthur L. Day Medal by the Geological Society of America
• 1998, elected to the National Academy of Sciences
• 1999, recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Victoria
• 2003, invited to be a Member of the Order of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada, (French: La Société royale du Canada) The Canadian Academy of the Sciences and Humanities, is the senior national body of distinguished Canadian scientists and scholars. ... The Logan Medal is the highest award of the Geological Association of Canada. ... The premises of the Royal Society in London (first four properties only). ... The Geological Society of America (or GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. ... President Harding and the National Academy of Sciences at the White House, Washington, DC, April 1921 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine. ... The University of Victoria (usually known as UVic) is located in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (northeast of Victoria). ... Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country. ...

External links

• PNAS- Biography of Edward Irving
• University of Victoria- Honorary degree
• Geolog- Ted Irving Awarded OofC
• Science Magazine- Portraits of Science
• GSA- Awards and Medals
• When the Earth Moves