Keith Cox facts for kids

Keith Gordon Cox (born April 25, 1933 – died August 27, 1998) was a British geologist and a professor at the University of Oxford. He was very interested in flood basalts, which are huge flows of lava that cover vast areas. Many people thought he was one of the top experts in this field. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, a special honor for important scientists.

Keith Cox's Life and Career

Keith Cox was born in Birmingham, England. His father, Sir Gordon Cox, was also a university professor, teaching chemistry. During World War II, Keith was sent to Canada for safety. After the war, he went to King Edward's School, Birmingham and Leeds Grammar School.

From 1950 to 1952, he completed his national service in the Royal Engineers. Then, he earned a scholarship to The Queen's College, Oxford. In 1956, he finished his geology degree with top honors. Sadly, he lost an eye in an accident during a field trip in the Lake District in 1955.

After Oxford, Cox did more research at the University of Leeds. He then became a lecturer in petrology at Edinburgh University. Petrology is the study of rocks. In 1972, he moved to Oxford as a geology lecturer. The next year, he became a fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. In 1988, he became a "Reader," which is a senior academic position, and also a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Keith Cox traveled to South Africa many times. There, he worked with local scientists like Dr. A.J. Erlank, who studied the chemistry of rocks. He passed away in a sailing accident near Erraid off the Isle of Mull in Scotland on August 27, 1998.

Keith Cox's Geological Work

Keith Cox's early research focused on the Masukwe Complex in the Nuanetsi region of what was then called Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). This work sparked his special interest in flood basalts. He became a world expert on these massive lava flows.

He thought deeply about the chemistry of these rocks while working in the Karoo region of South Africa. While at Edinburgh, he also studied similar rocks from the Deccan area in India and from southern Arabia. His research at Oxford also included flood basalts in the Parana region of South America, the Hebrides in Scotland, and Antarctica. He also studied kimberlites, which are special rocks that sometimes contain diamonds.

Besides his research, Keith Cox helped edit important science journals. He was an editor for the Journal of Petrology from 1971 to 1983 and for Earth and Planetary Science Letters from 1981 to 1985. He also wrote two textbooks:

• An Introduction to the Practical Study of Crystals, Minerals and Rocks (1967), which he wrote with N. B. Price and B. Harte.
• The Interpretation of Igneous Rocks (1979), which he wrote with J. D. Bell and R. J. Pankhurst.