Brian Harold Mason
| Brian Harold Mason | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 April 1917 Port Chalmers, Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Died | 3 December 2009 (aged 92) Washington, D.C., USA |
| Fields | Geochemistry, mineralogy, meteoritics |
| Institutions | Indiana University, Smithsonian Institution |
| Alma mater | |
| Thesis | Mineralogical aspects of the system FeO - Fe2O3 - MnO - Mn2O3 (1943) |
| Doctoral advisor | Victor Moritz Goldschmidt |
| Known for | Meteorite classification |
| Notable awards |
Leonard Medal Roebling Medal (1993) |
Brian Harold Mason (18 April 1917 – 3 December 2009) was a New Zealand geochemist and mineralogist who was one of the pioneers in the study of meteorites.
Mason played a leading part in understanding the nature of the solar system through his studies of meteorites and lunar rocks. He also examined and classified thousands of meteorites collected from Antarctica.
Mason was born in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, in 1917 and was brought up in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was educated at Christchurch Boys' High School and studied geology and chemistry at Canterbury University College, graduating MSc with first-class honours in 1939. In 1943, he completed a PhD in geochemistry at the under Victor Goldschmidt.
Mason returned to Christchurch where he was appointed lecture of geology at Canterbury University College. He taught there for two years. In 1947, he was appointed professor of mineralogy at Indiana University where he was based for rest of his life. He was a curator of mineralogy at both the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Two minerals have been named after Mason. Brianite is a phosphate mineral and stenhuggarite (from the Swedish ‘stenhuggar’ – ‘mason’) is a rare iron-antimony mineral. Asteroid 12926 Brianmason is also named in his honor.
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