earth science

Israel Russell

Israel Russell is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Israel Russell rather than just read about it. In short: Israel Cook Russell, LL.D. (December 10, 1852 – May 1, 1906) was an American geologist and geographer known for his seminal work on paleolakes of the Great Basin and exploration of Alaska in the late 19th century.

Key takeaways

Israel Russell belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Israel Russell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Israel Russell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Israel Cook Russell, LL.D. (December 10, 1852 – May 1, 1906) was an American geologist and geographer known for his seminal work on paleolakes of the Great Basin and exploration of Alaska in the late 19th century.

Early life and education Russell was born at Garrattsville, New York, on December 10, 1852. He received B.S. and C.E. degrees in 1872 from the University of the City of New York (now New York University), and later studied at the School of Mines, Columbia College.

Career In 1874 he accompanied one of the parties sent out by the United States government to observe the transit of Venus, and was stationed at Queenstown, New Zealand. On his return in 1875 he was appointed assistant in geology at the School of mines, and in 1878 he became assistant geologist on the United States geological and geographical survey west of the 100th meridian. In 1880, he became a member of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Between 1881 and 1885 he worked at Mono Lake in east-central California. Originally employed in support of surveys for construction of the Bodie Railway connecting the Lake with Bodie, he stayed for four years making field observations that culminated in publication of The Quaternary History of Mono Valley, California (1889). Russell's investigations of pluvial stages of Lake Lahontan and Mono Lake (later named pluvial "Lake Russell" in recognition of his work) combined evidence from observations of shoreline deposits, sediments preserved in outcrop, terraces, and moraines to infer lake basin history and may be considered to be the first limnogeological studies. He represented the USGS in 1889 in an expedition sent to Alaska by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey to establish a portion of Alaska's eastern boundary. During the next two years, he explored, under the joint auspices of the USGS and the National Geographic Society, the slopes of Mount Saint Elias and the Yakutat Bay area. In 1890 he made the first reported sighting of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada, and gave the mountain its name. In 1892 he became professor of geology at the University of Michigan. At the time of his death, he was President of the Geological Society of America. In May 1902, Russell was one of a party of scientists who travelled on the USS Dixie to document the eruptions of La Soufriere, St Vincent and Mont Pelee, Martinique. Russell was sent by the National Geographic Society along with Robert T. Hill and Carsten Borchgrevink.

Death Russell died suddenly on May 1, 1906, after suffering pneumonia.

Honours In 1902, Marcus Baker of the USGS named Russell Fiord in his honor. Mount Russell in Alaska, Mount Rainier's Russell Glacier in Washington, Mount Russell (California), and the prehistoric Lake Russell in California's Mono Basin are also named for him. The Limnogeology Division of the Geological Society of America annually gives the Israel C. Russell Award to outstanding geoscientists in recognition of major achievements in limnogeology through contributions in research, teaching, and service.

Writing Besides many contributions on geological subjects to various scientific periodicals, he published scientific memoirs, which were issued as annual reports of the Geological Survey, or as separate monographs.

Works Sketch of the Geological History of Lake Lahontan (1883) A Geological Reconnaissance in Southern Oregon (1884) Existing Glaciers of the United States (1885) Geological History of Lake Lahontan (1885) Geological History of Mono Valley (1888) Sub-Aerial Decay of Rocks (1888) Russell, Israel Cook (1893). A geological reconnoissance in central Washington. Bulletin. Vol. 108. Washington, D.C.: United States Geological Service. doi:10.3133/b108. Lakes of North America (1895) Glaciers of North America (1897) Volcanoes of North America (1897) Rivers of North America (1898) North America (1904)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Israel Russell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Israel Russell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Israel Russell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Israel Russell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Israel Russell

In research: Israel Russell appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Israel Russell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Israel Russell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1852 births, 1906 deaths, 19th-century American memoirists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Israel Russell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Israel Russell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Israel Russell means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Israel Russell out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Israel Russell in simple terms?

Why does Israel Russell matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Israel Russell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Israel Russell.