Abstract
THE retirement of Dr. Murray Macgregor during the past autumn brings to a close a long and eventful term of office in charge of the Geological Survey in Scotland and north-east England. On joining the staff in 1909, Dr. Macgregor was stationed at Edinburgh, and in 1921 succeeded the late Mr. L. W. Hinxman as district geologist for the Central Coalfield and Northern Highlands; and in 1925 he was appointed assistant director for Scotland. Dr. Macgregor has rendered signal service both in organizing and personally conducting geological investigations for industrial developments in Scotland. He will, however, be remembered especially for the close contact which he maintained with those engaged in the coal-min ing industry. In addition to his many contributions to the economic geology of the coalfields in Survey memoirs he has written a comprehensive account of Scottish Carboniferous stratigraphy, which was published by the Geological Society of Glasgow in 1930. During the past twenty years a large programme of normal survey work was carried out under Dr. Macgregor's guidance. The first revision of the Scottish and Northumberland Coalfields was completed, as well as a second revision of a large part of the Central and Lothians Coalfields and the oil-shale field of the Lothians. Up to the outbreak of war in 1939, striking progress had also been made with the primary survey in several areas in the Highlands and Islands. During the war years the activities of Dr. Macgregor and his staff were concentrated upon economic aspects of geology, related to the War itself and to reconstruction. A number of special investigations were carried out at the request of several ministries and to meet various industrial needs. Among these may be mentioned a detailed examination of Scottish limestones, mainly for agricultural purposes, a search for feldspar, silica-rock, mica and iron ore, surveys of underground water resources and of areas for open-cast coal production, and an investigation of building materials, including slates, brick-clays and granite.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Geological Survey (Scottish Office) Dr. Murray Macgregor. Nature 156, 743 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/156743a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/156743a0