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Geology topics

J. Oliver

Publications and source records attributed to J. Oliver.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

A recording evaporimeter

The instrument herein described was originally designed and built to record the evaporation‐loss from a standard Weather Bureau pan for use in a study of the variation of flow in Santa Ana River. Valuable suggestions were made by various members of the Water Resources Branch of the Geological Survey in Southern California, and financial assistance for construction was given by F. C. Ebert and H. C. Troxell of the same organization. The typing of the paper and some of the drafting were done by Works Progress Administration help. The original instrument was damaged by flood‐waters in 1934, while in operation at Baldwin Park, California. It was then redesigned and constructed of stainless materials and installed on the campus of the San Bernardino Valley Junior College. The Weather Bureau pan was replaced by a thermally insulated pan. The damping unit was added at this time by the present writers. The evaporimeter was placed in regular operation on October 30, 1937, in a study of the relative magnitudes of the various energy‐components associated with solar and sky radiation and with evaporation from water‐surfaces, from damp soil, and from plants.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Don’t fence us in

When I was a graduate student around 1950 I used to read the entire Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. it was a pwoerful and inspiring educational experience, with an effect quite different from that of the more usual process of looking up a few articles in the chain of references in a subject of current interest. Reading the entire journal reveals how ideas, techniques, and seismologists appear and evolve. It is likely the best substitute for a firsthand personal experience with the early development of the field. And in spite of, or perhaps because of, the missteps, the wasted effort, and the lack of sophistication that those first volumes reveal, the reader can sense the opportunity and be inspired by the vibrancy of the young subject.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes (USGS)