Arthur Holmes was an extremely influential geologist of the 20th century. He made many contributions to the world of geology, such as depicting the Earth’s age and analyzing why the continents drift. He greatly influenced modern science and is still very important today. Arthur Holmes was born January 14, 1890 in Gateshead, United Kingdom, his parents were James Holmes and Sarah Hargraves. One of his influences throughout his life was Robert Strutt, 4th Baron Rayleigh, a physicist who discovered active nitrogen. The colleges Holmes had attended during his lifetime were Imperial College of London and Royal College of Science. Arthur's life was problematic, during his time in college his funding of 60£ wasn’t enough to make ends meet. He had then gone to Mozambique, Africa to prospect minerals in 1911. In Mozambique, he did not …show more content…
The technology Arthur Holmes used set him apart from other scientists, while still being accurate today. Arthur Holmes used uranium-lead radiometric dating to measure the age of rocks, which in turn, led to his accurate estimation of the Earth’s age, and the popularity of radiometric dating. Holmes’ prediction would have resembled predictions of other scientists of the time if he did not use the then remarkable, new technology of uranium-led radiometric dating. Although Holmes was the first to use uranium-lead radiometric dating, he did not invent it. Ernest Rutherford in 1905 created it, and Arthur Holmes was the first to accurately use it in 1911. His use of radiometric dating influenced the practice of radiocarbon dating, which is used today. If he used the modern technology for measuring the age of rocks, his prediction would be surprisingly similar to his actual prediction of 4.5 billion years. Arthur Holmes’ work revolved around the use of then new inventions of his time and would not have been changed drastically if he conducted the same experiments