Owen Thomas Jones facts for kids

Owen Thomas Jones was a very important Welsh geologist. He was born on April 16, 1878, and passed away on May 5, 1967. Geologists are scientists who study the Earth's rocks, layers, and history. Owen Thomas Jones spent his life learning about and mapping the geology of Wales.

Early Life and Learning

Owen Thomas Jones was born in a small place called Beulah, near Newcastle Emlyn in Cardiganshire, Wales. He was the only son of David Jones and Margaret Thomas. He first went to the local village school in Trewen. Later, in 1893, he attended Pencader Grammar School.

In 1896, he began studying physics at University College, Aberystwyth. He finished his degree there in 1900. After that, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge. There, he earned another degree in Natural Sciences, focusing on geology, in 1902.

A Career in Geology

In 1903, Owen Thomas Jones started working for the British Geological Survey. This job allowed him to study the land close to his home in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

He became the very first professor of geology in Aberystwyth in 1910. This was a big step for geology education in Wales. In 1913, he moved to the University of Manchester to become a geology professor there. Then, in 1930, he became the Woodwardian Professor of Geology at the famous University of Cambridge. He held this important position until 1943. Throughout his career, he focused deeply on understanding the geology of Wales.

Awards and Special Honours

Owen Thomas Jones received many important awards for his work. In 1926, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honour for scientists in the United Kingdom.

In 1956, he was given the Royal Medal by the Royal Society. When he received this award, people called him 'the most versatile of living British geologists'. This means he was seen as a geologist who could do many different things very well. In the same year, he also won the Wollaston Medal and the Lyell Medal from the Geological Society of London. He was even the president of the Geological Society twice!

Owen Thomas Jones lived to be 89 years old. He wrote more than 140 scientific papers during his life. Just one year before he passed away, he published a paper that explained where the bluestones of Stonehenge came from. He showed that these famous stones had traveled all the way from Wales. He even wrote this paper in the Welsh language.