author
Arthur Holmes
1890–1965
A pioneering geologist, he helped show that Earth is far older than many scientists once believed and offered an early explanation for how continents could move. His work made deep time feel measurable and helped lay groundwork for modern geology.
1 Audiobook
The age of the Earth
by Arthur Holmes
About the author
Born in Hebburn-on-Tyne in 1890, Arthur Holmes studied at Imperial College in London and became one of the key figures in twentieth-century geology. He is especially remembered for advancing radiometric dating, using radioactive decay in minerals to estimate the ages of rocks and, in turn, the age of the Earth.
Holmes also argued that heat-driven convection inside the Earth's mantle could help explain continental movement. That idea was far ahead of its time and later became an important part of the scientific framework behind plate tectonics. His textbook Principles of Physical Geology became widely influential for generations of students.
He spent an important part of his career at the University of Edinburgh, where he served as Regius Professor of Geology. Holmes died in 1965, but his work remains central to the way geologists understand Earth's history and inner workings.