Robert Bell (geologist)

Robert Bell ( born June 3, 1841 in Toronto, † June 17, 1917 in Rath Well, Manitoba ) was a Canadian geographer and geologist, known for numerous geographical discoveries in Canada. About 3,000 names of geographical localities to come from him, so that he was also called by his colleagues father of Canadian place names.

Life

Bell was the son of a Presbyterian minister and amateur geologists. Even as a youth he assisted the geologist William Edmond Logan from the Geological Survey of Canada. He studied civil engineering at McGill University, where he also heard Geology at John William Dawson, in 1861, received his degree. He then studied for two years natural sciences at the University of Edinburgh and in 1863 professor of chemistry and natural sciences at Queen's College in Kingston ( Ontario). In the summer months he worked as a student for the Geographical Survey, which he entered in 1867 and from 1869 was permanent. He remained there the rest of his career, in 1877 Assistant Director, 1890 Chief Geologist and was Acting Director from 1901 to 1909, but was never to own disappointment director. In 1908 he was officially retired.

Bell explored particularly the north of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, the eastern Canadian Arctic, the prairies of Saskatchewan and the Athabasca oil sands (Alberta). He made a record of flora, fauna, geology, climate, soil conditions, ethnology and deposits.

He wrote more than 200 reports and publications as part of its activities at the Survey. A large part of his extensive estate is in the National Archives of Canada.

In 1878 he earned his medical degree (MD) from McGill University.

He was a Fellow of the Geological Society of London ( 1865), the Royal Society (1897 ), the Royal Society of Canada. In 1906 he received the Cullum Medal of the American Geographical Society, and in 1906 the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society. He was more honorary doctorates ( McGill University, Cambridge University, Queen's University, Kingston). In 1903, Companion of the Imperial Service Order.