16 Facts About Alexander Heron

Alexander Macmillan Heron was a Scottish geologist who became Director of the Geological Survey of India.

Alexander Heron participated in the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition following which he produced a geological map of the Everest region of Tibet.

Alexander Heron graduated from University of Edinburgh in engineering in 1906 and in that year he joined the Geological Survey of India.

Alexander Heron was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1925 and, succeeding Sir Lewis Leigh Fermor, he became the Survey's director in 1936 until stepping down from that post in 1939.

In 1948 Alexander Heron was geological advisor for Hyderabad, where he became a mentor to the young Calamur Mahadevan.

Alexander Heron continued publishing research papers for the Geological Survey into the 1950s and, after 23 years of geological survey in Rajasthan he published his magnum opus, "The Geology of Central Rajasthan", in 1953.

Alexander Heron died in 1971 aged 86 while he was staying in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India.

Harold Raeburn and Alexander Heron Kellas were to lead the climbing team but, after Kellas' sudden death on the walk-in, and Raeburn's illness requiring him to return to base, George Mallory effectively became lead climber.

In letters home to his wife Ruth he wrote that Alexander Heron was a "solid treasure", was "cheerful and good-natured", and that although he was good at dealing with the porters he was no climber.

Howard-Bury joined them later and while Wheeler surveyed on his own, they explored the area of the Nangpa La where Alexander Heron discovered marine fossils in the limestone at heights never thought possible.

Alexander Heron separately surveyed from Kharta back to Tingri and went on to make several geological expeditions to the north.

Alexander Heron wrote the geological chapter for Howard-Bury's book about the expedition.

Alexander Heron based his map on the topographical map that was being drawn by Morshead and his team, although for much of the time the region he was in had not yet been mapped so he had to transcribe his observations later.

Alexander Heron discovered that the Tibetan plateau was intensely folded sedimentary Jurassic shale and Cretaceous limestone with an east-west strike with, he considered, the folding indicating movement from the north.

Alexander Heron considered that the biotite gneiss was probably an igneous intrusion into the calcareous gneiss.

The Arun Gorge is 5,000 feet deep as it cuts completely through the Himalayan ridge and for the origin of its upper part Alexander Heron was "unable to give an explanation".