Ruy Finch

Ruy Herbert Finch (1890 – March 25, 1957)[1] was an American volcanologist, and second director of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) from 1940 to 1951, succeeding Thomas A. Jaggar.[2] Finch is known largely for his discovery of the 1790 Footprints.[3] Another notable scientific contribution by Finch was the formal addition of block lava to the lava classification types.[4] In 1951, a group of scientists that included Finch were named in the journal Science as "outstanding authorities in their respective fields".[5]

Ruy Finch
Born
Ruy Herbert Finch

1890
DiedMarch 25, 1957(1957-03-25) (aged 66–67)
Other namesR. H. Finch

Career

Finch was an Ohio native. He began his professional career in 1910, working as a seismologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau. The HVO was formed during his time there.[6] In 1919, HVO was merged into the Weather Bureau and Finch moved to Hawaii Island in 1923,[7] where he was present during an eruption of Kīlauea in 1924.[8][9]

From some point in the 1920s until 1935, he directed a seismograph station near Lassen Peak, after which he was transferred to Hawaii National Park.[10] During his time at Hawaii, he worked as an park guide,[11] among other jobs. He became director of HVO in 1940, and served until 1951. During his time at the Observatory, he worked with multiple other geologists of the time most notably, T. A. Jaggar and Gordon Macdonald.[12] After his tenure with the Observatory, he retired and moved to an apple orchard in Watsonville, California with his family, where he died in 1957.[6]

While Thomas A. Jaggar was starting up the Observatory, he began a newsletter called The Volcano Letter, a publication on volcanology. When Jaggar retired in 1940 and Finch took over as director, he also became the editor of The Volcano Letter.[13] The Volcano Letter later went on to be reprinted by Richard S. Fiske, Tom Simkin, and Elizabeth A. Nielsen as editors, of which Simkin was also an author of the book Volcanoes of the World.[14]

References
  1. Macdonald, Gordon A. (1958-12-01). "Ruy Herbert Finch (1890–1957)". Bulletin Volcanologique. 19 (1): 221–229. doi:10.1007/BF02596608. ISSN 1432-0819. S2CID 129446909.
  2. Babb, Janet L.; Kauahikaua, James P.; Tilling, Robert I. (2011). "The story of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory—A remarkable first 100 years of tracking eruptions and earthquakes". U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 135. General Information Product: i-63. doi:10.3133/gip135.
  3. "Whose Footprints Are These?". Images of Old Hawaiʻi. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  4. Harris, Andrew J. L.; Rowland, Scott K.; Villeneuve, Nicolas; Thordarson, Thor (2016). "Pāhoehoe, 'a'ā, and block lava: an illustrated history of the nomenclature". Bulletin of Volcanology. 79 (1): 7. Bibcode:2017BVol...79....7H. doi:10.1007/s00445-016-1075-7. ISSN 1432-0819. S2CID 133358733.
  5. Miller, Robert C. (1951). "Los Angeles Meeting of the Pacific Division, AAAS". Science. 114 (2955): 193–194. doi:10.1126/science.114.2955.193. ISSN 0036-8075.
  6. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (May 3, 2012). "Volcano Watch — Ruy Finch, HVO's second Director, went to the core of volcanology and apple-growing". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  7. "Welcome New Board Member Dale Gilmartin" (PDF). Malama Manoa (Newsletter). 28 (1): 6. 2020.
  8. Carey, Rebecca (May 16, 2018). "Trouble in paradise: eruptions from Kīlauea volcano place the Hawaiian island on red alert". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  9. USGS [@usgs] (Jun 7, 2018). "This block was thrown out during an explosion at Halema'uma'u on May 18, 1924, while Acting HVO director Ruy Finch and others were nearby. The block landed about 600 m (2000 ft) from today's rim of Halemaumau and created a large impact crater" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. Barton, Jean (2020-04-03). "Cabin fever and a grand homecoming for Cole Bunting". Red Bluff Daily News. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  11. Castro, Nash (1953). "Administration". Nature Notes: J.
  12. "Volcano Watch: Ruy Finch, HVO's second Director, went to the core of volcanology and apple-growing". Hawaii 24/7. May 3, 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  13. McCoy, Floyd W. (1987). "Rumblings from Hawaii". Nature. 329 (6138): 402. doi:10.1038/329402a0. ISSN 1476-4687.
  14. Fiske, Richard S.; Simkin, Tom; Nielsen, Elizabeth A. (eds.). "The Volcano Letter". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2023-05-06.

Further reading

U.S. Geological Survey

Geological Survey images associated with Finch:

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