Mike Morton (geologist)
| Mike Morton | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Michael Douglas Morton 11 July 1924 Huddersfield, England |
| Died |
(aged 79) Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, Wales |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Geology |
| Institutions | Iraq Petroleum Company, Canadian Industrial Gas & Oil Ltd, Marathon Oil Corporation, Hunt Oil, World Bank |
| Alma mater |
Huddersfield Technical College Leeds University |
| Known for | His expertise in the petroleum geology of the Middle East |
Douglas Michael "Mike" Morton (11 July 1924 – 22 November 2003) was a British petroleum geologist and a leading authority on the geology of the Middle East.
Morton was born in Huddersfield, England, on 11 July 1924. He took a degree in geology at the Huddersfield Technical College and completed his studies at Leeds University, graduating in the summer of 1945. At this time, the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) was looking to recruit geologists as part of recommencing of its oil exploration operations in the Middle East. Morton applied for the post of assistant geologist and was appointed in the autumn of that year to take up his duties in Palestine and Transjordan.
IPC operations encompassed all parts of the Middle East within the limits of the defunct Ottoman Empire, according to the Red Line Agreement of 1928. The Company's geological department possessed a remarkable range and depth of talent with the result that Morton worked with distinguished geologists such as Jim McGinty, Sami Nasr, Louis Dubertret, Leo Damesin, R.G.S. Hudson, H.V. Dunnington, Ziad Beydoun, F.E. Wellings and Norval Baker.
Morton's first posting was to IPC headquarters in Jerusalem, from where geological surveys were conducted across two countries, Palestine and Transjordan. The primary role of the geologists was to survey the terrain by mapping and plane tabling exposed rock formations. Field parties would venture from the main field camps, Kurnub (Palestine) and Mafraq (Trans-Jordan), setting up smaller tented camps, known as "fly camps" in the desert terrain. During this period, Morton became fluent in Arabic, which was essential for exploring the remoter regions of the Middle East.
The search for oil in Transjordan was unsuccessful. In Palestine, although the company started drilling a test well near Gaza in 1947, drilling was suspended in February 1948 when political disturbances made it difficult and dangerous to carry on.
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