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R. J. W. Douglas

R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas rather than just read about it. In short: Robert John Wilson Douglas (1920–1979) was a Canadian geologist who made contributions in the fields of structure stratigraphy, sedimentation, and petroleum geology. Education Douglas was awarded a Manly B.

Key takeaways

  • R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of R. J. W. Douglas from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Robert John Wilson Douglas (1920–1979) was a Canadian geologist who made contributions in the fields of structure stratigraphy, sedimentation, and petroleum geology.

Education Douglas was awarded a Manly B. Baker Scholarship and graduated from Queen's University in geology and mineralogy. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in geology from Columbia University.

Career Douglas worked as a student assistant for the Geological Survey of Canada. He left the Survey for three years to serve as a navigator with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Douglas has contributed to our understanding of the structure of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and northern Canada. His exposition of the mechanics of bedding plane thrusts, of back-limb thrust faults and folding of the thrusts forms the basis for the later work carried out in these areas. Douglas also studied the stratigraphy of the Mississippian system in southern Alberta. These studies provided a detailed description and classification of carbonate rocks and theories on the formation of oil and gas reservoirs.

Personal life Douglas and his wife Winnifred lived in Ottawa, Ontario with their three children, Isabel, Robert and Gordon. He died of a heart attack in 1979.

Positions held 1961-1963, member of the Canadian National Committee, 6th World Petroleum Congress 1962-1964, member of the program committee of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 1962-1965, served as associate editor of the Geological Society of America Member of the Geological Survey of Canada Committees on Stable Isotopes and Age Determination, and on Library, Stratigraphic Nomenclature Committee member on the Geology Advisory Committee of the Alberta Research Council

Honors and awards Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellow of the Geological Society of America Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Member of the Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists Member of the National Geographic Society 1965, awarded the Willet G. Miller Medal by the Royal Society of Canada 1976, awarded the Logan Medal by the Geological Association of Canada 1980, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists begins awarding the R. J. W. Douglas Medal

Select publications Douglas, R. J. W. (1970) Geology and economic minerals of Canada. Geological Survey of Canada. Price, Raymond A.; Douglas, R. J. W. (1972) Variations in tectonic styles in Canada. Toronto: Geological Association of Canada. Douglas, R. J. W. (1981) Callum Creek, Langford Creek, and Gap map-areas, Alberta Ottawa and Hull, Quebec: Geological Survey of Canada.

External links Get Cited- R J W Douglas Willet G. Miller Medal Winners Archived 2006-12-29 at the Wayback Machine R.J.W. Douglas Medal Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with R. J. W. Douglas

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas

In research
R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas 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
R. J. W. Douglas is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1920 births, 1979 deaths, 20th-century Canadian geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is R. J. W. Douglas in simple terms?

Robert John Wilson Douglas (1920–1979) was a Canadian geologist who made contributions in the fields of structure stratigraphy, sedimentation, and petroleum geology. Education Douglas was awarded a Manly B.

Why does R. J. W. Douglas 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 R. J. W. Douglas?

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 R. J. W. Douglas.

Tags

  • 1920 births
  • 1979 deaths
  • 20th-century Canadian geologists
  • Canadian expatriates in the United States
  • Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
  • Fellows of the Geological Society of America
  • Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
  • Geological Survey of Canada personnel
  • Logan Medal recipients
  • Queen's University at Kingston alumni
  • Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II

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