Philip Kuenen
Philip Henry Kuenen ( born July 22, 1902 in Dundee, † December 17, 1976 in Leiden ) was a Dutch geologist.
Life and work
Kuenen spent his earliest childhood in Scotland, his father was a professor in physics. He studied geology at Leiden University and was a student of Karl Martin and Berend George Escher. In 1925 he completed his studies, Escher became an assistant and worked in the fields of paleontology and geology experimental.
1929-1930 Kuenen took part in the Snell's expedition that traveled the waters around the Sunda islands of the former Dutch East Indies. In 1934 he became a lecturer at the University of Groningen. Since the Dutch government decided that geology is not a major at the University of Groningen, Kuenen could devote a major portion of his time to research. In 1946 he was appointed a full professor, as the Nazis had prevented this during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II because he had British ancestors.
Kuenen is especially known for his work in the field of marine geology, which he published a book. Among his other contributions to geology are geochemical calculations of sediment and the water cycle as well as research on absolute and relative sea level changes, the roundness of sediment grains, deportations in the range of continental slopes and especially turbidites. These he studied both by means of experiments as well as in geological outcrops. His students included Arnold Bouma, another pioneer in the field of Turbiditforschung, after the typical layer sequence of a Turbidits was named the Bouma sequence.
In 1970, recommended the Doeglas commission of the Dutch government to abandon all geological research in Groningen, and to concentrate instead on other universities. Kuenen was a staunch opponent of this plan, but could not prevent its implementation. After a nervous breakdown in 1970, he sat down to rest in 1972.
Throughout his career, Kuenen received, among other things, the 1961 Penrose Medal, 1966, the Gustav- Steinmann Medal and in 1970 the Wollaston medal. He was a member of the Leopoldina since 1966.