Daniel Barringer (geologist)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Moreau Barringer (1860 – 1929) was a geologist
best known as the first person to prove the existence of a meteorite
crater
on the Earth, the Meteor Crater
in Arizona
. The site has been renamed the Barringer Crater in his honor, although this name might mainly be used by the scientific community.
Daniel Barringer, the son of Daniel Moreau Barringer
and the nephew of Rufus Barringer
, graduated from Princeton University
in 1879 at the age of 19, and in 1882 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
's School of Law. He later studied geology
and mineralogy
at Harvard University
and at the University of Virginia
, respectively.
In 1892, Barringer, along with his friend Richard A. F. Penrose, Jr.
, and others, purchased a gold
and silver
mine
near Cochise, Arizona
. Later, Barringer also discovered the Commonwealth Silver Mine in Pearce, Arizona
. These mining ventures made him a wealthy man.
. The crater, known as Coon Mountain, had previously been studied by the geologist Grove Karl Gilbert
in 1891. Gilbert had hypothesized that the crater must have been the result of either a gas explosion or a meteorite
. After performing experiments in the crater, however, Gilbert's conclusion was that the crater could not be the result of an impact, and therefore could only be the result of an explosion. He concluded this despite the clear presence of thousands of small meteoritic particles in the vicinity of the crater.
Upon hearing of the existence of the crater and the meteoritic iron, Barringer became convinced that the crater was of meteoritic origin. With both scientific and monetary aims in mind, Barringer created the "Standard Iron Company" in order to mine the crater for the iron that he assumed must be buried below its surface. The Standard Iron Company conducted drilling operations in and around the crater between 1903 and 1905, and concluded that the crater had indeed been caused by a violent impact. It was unable to find the meteorite, however.
In 1906, Barringer and his partner, the mathematician
and physicist
Benjamin C. Tilghman
, presented their first papers to the U.S. Geological Survey outlining the evidence in support of the impact theory. The papers were published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
The mining of the crater continued until 1929 without ever finding the ten-million ton meteorite that Barringer was assumed must be hidden. At this time the astronomer
Forest Ray Moulton
performed calculations on the energy expended by the meteorite on impact, and concluded that the meteorite had most likely vaporized when it landed. By this point Barringer had spent over $600,000 in mining the crater, nearly bankrupting him, with no iron profits to show for it.
Barringer died of a heart attack on November 30, 1929, shortly after reading the very persuasive arguments that no iron was to be found. By the time of his death, Barringer had convinced most of the scientific community that his impact theory was correct. The theory has been further confirmed with new evidence since then, most notably by Eugene Shoemaker during the 1960s.
Barringer also had a small lunar crater
named after him posthumously on the far side of the Moon
. He was survived by his wife, Margaret Bennett, and eight children, who, together with their descendants, formed the Barringer Crater Company, which owns the site to this day.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
best known as the first person to prove the existence of a meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
on the Earth, the Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater is a meteorite impact crater located approximately east of Flagstaff, near Winslow in the northern Arizona desert of the United States. Because the US Department of the Interior Division of Names commonly recognizes names of natural features derived from the nearest post office, the...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The site has been renamed the Barringer Crater in his honor, although this name might mainly be used by the scientific community.
Daniel Barringer, the son of Daniel Moreau Barringer
Daniel Moreau Barringer
Daniel Moreau Barringer was a Whig U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1843 and 1849.Born near Concord, North Carolina, in 1806, Barringer attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Graduating in 1826, he went on to study law in Hillsborough and was admitted to the bar,...
and the nephew of Rufus Barringer
Rufus Barringer
Rufus Clay Barringer was a North Carolina lawyer, politician, and American Civil War brigadier general.-Early life:...
, graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1879 at the age of 19, and in 1882 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
's School of Law. He later studied geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and mineralogy
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, respectively.
In 1892, Barringer, along with his friend Richard A. F. Penrose, Jr.
R. A. F. Penrose, Jr.
Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, Jr., better known throughout his career as R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., was an American mining geologist and entrepreneur....
, and others, purchased a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
near Cochise, Arizona
Cochise County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*78.5% White*4.2% Black*1.2% Native American*1.9% Asian*0.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.0% Two or more races*9.6% Other races*32.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Later, Barringer also discovered the Commonwealth Silver Mine in Pearce, Arizona
Pearce, Arizona
Pearce, Arizona and Sunsites, Arizona are adjacent unincorporated communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The two communities are referred to as Pearce-Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites. Pearce is best known as a historic ghost town...
. These mining ventures made him a wealthy man.
Coon Mountain Crater
In 1902 Barringer learned of the existence of a large (1.5 km in diameter) crater, located 35 miles east of Flagstaff, ArizonaFlagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
. The crater, known as Coon Mountain, had previously been studied by the geologist Grove Karl Gilbert
Grove Karl Gilbert
Grove Karl Gilbert , known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist....
in 1891. Gilbert had hypothesized that the crater must have been the result of either a gas explosion or a meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
. After performing experiments in the crater, however, Gilbert's conclusion was that the crater could not be the result of an impact, and therefore could only be the result of an explosion. He concluded this despite the clear presence of thousands of small meteoritic particles in the vicinity of the crater.
Upon hearing of the existence of the crater and the meteoritic iron, Barringer became convinced that the crater was of meteoritic origin. With both scientific and monetary aims in mind, Barringer created the "Standard Iron Company" in order to mine the crater for the iron that he assumed must be buried below its surface. The Standard Iron Company conducted drilling operations in and around the crater between 1903 and 1905, and concluded that the crater had indeed been caused by a violent impact. It was unable to find the meteorite, however.
In 1906, Barringer and his partner, the mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Benjamin C. Tilghman
Benjamin Chew Tilghman
Benjamin Chew Tilghman was an American soldier and inventor. He is best known as the inventor of the process of sandblasting.-Early life:...
, presented their first papers to the U.S. Geological Survey outlining the evidence in support of the impact theory. The papers were published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
The mining of the crater continued until 1929 without ever finding the ten-million ton meteorite that Barringer was assumed must be hidden. At this time the astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Forest Ray Moulton
Forest Ray Moulton
Forest Ray Moulton was an American astronomer.He was born in Le Roy, Michigan, and was educated at Albion College. After graduating in 1894 , he performed his graduate studies at the University of Chicago and gained a Ph.D. in 1899...
performed calculations on the energy expended by the meteorite on impact, and concluded that the meteorite had most likely vaporized when it landed. By this point Barringer had spent over $600,000 in mining the crater, nearly bankrupting him, with no iron profits to show for it.
Barringer died of a heart attack on November 30, 1929, shortly after reading the very persuasive arguments that no iron was to be found. By the time of his death, Barringer had convinced most of the scientific community that his impact theory was correct. The theory has been further confirmed with new evidence since then, most notably by Eugene Shoemaker during the 1960s.
Barringer also had a small lunar crater
Barringer (lunar crater)
Barringer is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It is attached to the north-northeastern rim of the walled basin named Apollo, and lies to the southeast of Plummer...
named after him posthumously on the far side of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. He was survived by his wife, Margaret Bennett, and eight children, who, together with their descendants, formed the Barringer Crater Company, which owns the site to this day.