John-Clay Purves
John-Clay Purves MD (1825–1903) was a British geologist and museum curator.[1]
John-Clay Purves | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1825 |
| Died | 1903 (aged 77–78) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Geologist and Curator |
Biography
Purves initially qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh before joining the army and travelling as an army doctor.[1] He had spent a couple of years working for the Geological Survey in Scotland before joining the Yorkshire Museum in 1878. He was initially employed as a temporary assistant to the museum before being made permanent Keeper following the death of the sub-curator Henry Baines.[2] He resigned this post in 1880 following his appointment to the Geological Survey of Belgium.
In his subsequent geological career he is attributed with naming the Namurian; a stage in the regional stratigraphy of northwest Europe with an age between roughly 326 and 313 Ma (million years ago).[1]
Publications
- PURVES, J.C., 1881. 'Sur la délimitation et la constitution de l’étage houiller inférieur de la Belgique'. Bulletin de l’Académie royale de Belgique, Classe des Sciences, 3° série, 2: 514–568.
- PURVES, J.C., 1883. 'Terrain houiller'. In: Dupont, E. ; Mourlon, M. & Purves, J.C., Explication de la feuille de Natoye. Musée royal d’Histoire naturelle, Explication de la Carte géologique du Royaume: 1–50
References
- Pyrah, B. (1988). The History of the Yorkshire Museum and its Geological Collections. North Yorkshire County Council. p. 104.
- "Report of the Council of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society". Yorkshire Philosophical Society Annual Report for 1878. 1879. p. 17.