Sorby, Henry Clifton

Henry Clifton Sorby was born on May 10, 1826 in the city of Sheffield. He was carried away by the natural sciences from early childhood. His first scientific work was devoted to the excavation of valleys in Yorkshire. When he was 21, his father died, leaving a significant inheritance, which allowed Sorbi to create a science laboratory at home. Subsequently, he studied the physical geography of various geological periods, studied the wave structure of stratigraphic rocks and the conditions for cleavage (in particular, he proved that the cause of its occurrence is pressure).

Later, Sorbi began researching rocks and minerals under a microscope and published in 1858 the work On the Microscopical Structure of Crystals . In 1849, he was the first to make thin sections of rocks and minerals in order to study them under a microscope in transmitted light. In 1858, he developed a thermometric method, proving that the temperature of their formation can be judged by liquid inclusions in minerals. In 1863, he was the first in England to use acid etching to study the microscopic structure of iron and steel, determining the exact amount of carbon that steel needed to obtain strength.

In England, he became one of the pioneers in petrography and in 1869 was awarded the Wollaston Medal by the Geological Society of London. After becoming the president of this society, he published the results of his own research on the structure and origin of limestones and unknown stratified rocks (1879-1880). He previously became president of the Royal Microscopic Society.

From 1859 he was a member of the Royal Society of London , in 1874 the scientist was awarded the Royal Medal of this society ^[4] , and from 1878 to 1880 he served as president of the Royal Society of London.

Sorby wrote several scientific works on the construction, isomorphism, coloring of minerals and the use of micro- and spectroscopy in studies of the material composition of minerals and dyes of animal and plant origin, in later works he addressed such issues as the microscopic structure of iron and steel and the water temperature in river mouths . He also dealt with the creation of invertebrate materials for magic lanterns . In 1882, he was elected president of Fifth College in Sheffield.

Henry Clifton Sorby died March 9, 1908 in his hometown.

• Baker's lecture (1863)
• Wollaston Medal (1869)
• Royal Medal (1874)

• Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• Levinson-Lessing F. Yu., Introduction to the History of Petrography, L., 1936;
• Sorby, Henry Clifton // Encyclopædia Britannica .
• Judd YW, Henry Clifton Sorby and the birth of microscopical petrology, "Geologicalmagazine", 1908, v. five.