Carlotta Maury

Carlotta Joaquina Maury (January 6, 1874 – January 3, 1938) was a geologist, stratigrapher, paleontologist, and was one of the first women to work as a professional scientist in the oil and gas industry. Prejudice against professional women at the time did not affect Maury due to her extensive knowledge, recognized technical skills, and capabilities.[1]

Early life and education

Carlotta Joaquina Maury was born on January 6, 1874 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.[2] Maury's father was the Reverend Mytton Maury, a direct descendant of the Reverend James Maury and one of the sons of Sarah Mytton Maury. Maury's mother was Virginia Draper, a daughter of Antonia Coetana de Paiva Pereira Gardner and Dr. John William Draper.[3] Maury was also the granddaughter of John William Draper and a niece of Henry Draper, both pioneering astronomers.[4] She was the younger sister of astronomer Antonia Maury.[2]

Maury was educated at Radcliffe College from 1891 to 1894, she later attended Jardin des Plantes in Paris from 1899 to 1900 and Columbia University. After spending a year at Sorbonne for post-graduate studies, she completed her PhD at Cornell University in 1902, making her one of the first women to receive her PhD in paleontology.[1][2]

Career

Upon completion of her degree, Maury started teaching at Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1900. She went on to become a paleontologist assistant at Columbia University in 1904 and a lecturer in geology at Columbia College and Barnard College until 1912.[2]

"C.J." Maury returned to the field and joined a team led by G. D. Harris, her former Cornell advisor. The team’s objective was to investigate oil-rich areas off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. The information provided was the first significant geological information about the oil-producing area it is today. Maury’s specific contribution to the team’s research efforts was assembling data based on paleontologist findings in order to create a structure map of a large region. The team’s analysis has only needed minor adjustments since being published in 1910.[1][5]

In 1910, she started working for the Royal Dutch Shell as a consulting geologist and stratigrapher, and then for General Asphalt Co. as part of a team to explore areas of Old Eocene beds in Trinidad and Venezuela. Her findings of fossils and fauna were the first of their kind in the Caribbean and South America. After teaching at Huguenot College in Wellington, South Africa, she returned to the Caribbean in 1916 as a leader of the "Maury Expedition" to the Dominican Republic, despite political instability in the area at the time. Her goal was to order the stratigraphic layers of the Miocene and Oligocene eras, which were composed of sedimentary rock with heavy fossil deposits. This resulted in the discovery of 400 new species. Her work formed the foundation of the present day International Dominican Republic Project, which is a research effort that aims to dissect evolutionary change in the Caribbean from the Miocene era to the present day.

"C.J." Maury (as she was often called and as shown in her scientific papers was known for working speedily, while paying attention to detail and upholding a high level of enthusiasm. Her skills and capabilities were highly acknowledged that she became an official paleontologist with the Geological and Mineralogical Service of Brazil. While in this position, she published multiple monographs and Mineralogical Service Bulletins between 1919-1937.[1]

Maury died January 3, 1938 in Yonkers, New York.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Creese, M. R. (2007). [null Fossil hunters, a cave explorer and a rock analyst; notes on some] early women contributors to geology. In C. V. Burek & B. Higgs(Eds.), The role of women in the history of geology, (vol. 281, 39-49). London, UK: Geological Society of London.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey; Harvey, Joy Dorothy (2000-01-01). The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: L-Z. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415920407.
  3. ↑ Peed, Dorothy Myers (1966). America is People and Ideas. Berlin: Exposition Press.
  4. ↑ "Antonia Maury". Vassar Encyclopedia. 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ Burek, Cynthia V.; Higgs, Bettie (2007-01-01). The Role of Women in the History of Geology. Geological Society of London. ISBN 9781862392274.
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