Background
Dorf, Erling was born on July 19, 1905 in Nysted, Nebraska, United States. Son of Alfred T. and Thyra Axelsen (Dreier) Dorf.
Dorf, Erling was born on July 19, 1905 in Nysted, Nebraska, United States. Son of Alfred T. and Thyra Axelsen (Dreier) Dorf.
Bachelor of Science, University of Chicago, 1925, Doctor of Philosophy, 1930.
He was hired in 1928 as a professor of Geology at Princeton University. He retired from Princeton in. He was a renowned paleobotanist working on the floras of the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene.
Probably his best known research today are comprehensive articles and papers about the Yellowstone Petrified Forest where he reported the presence of conglomerates from stream deposits, breccias from mudflows or landslides, volcanic tuff, from the numerous volcanic events, and lava beds.
Dorf theorized that these specimens do not merely represent one entombed forest but rather include trees from 27 separate forests (the most in the world), each stacked on top of the other, layer by layer, to a thickness of 1,200 feet (370 m). He explains that the Absaroka volcanism lasted for 15 million years.
In that time, there were alternating periods of activity and dormancy. The active periods caused trees to be encased and eventually fossilized.
During the ensuing dormancy, new trees grew up on top of the old, only to be encased by the next volcanic activity.
The Erlingdorfia Montana specimen is named after him. 1943 - Vice-President, The Paleontological Society.
Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science (council 1947-1957), Geological Society American, Paleontological Society American (vice president 1943), Botanical Society American, New Jersey Academy Science (advisory council 1978-1984). Member National Association Geology Teachers (vice president east section 1956-1957, president 1957-1958, Neil Miner award 1963, Ralph Digman award 1967), A.A.U.P., New Jersey Geological Society, International, American associations plant taxonomists, Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Association (council 1961-1984, president 1964-1966, honorary life), American Institute Biological Sciences, American Geological Institute, Atlantic Coastal Plain Association, Paleobot. Society India (honorary), Montana Geological Society (honorary life), Royal Danish Academy Arts and Sciences (foreign), Sigma Xi, Kappa Epsilon Pi, Alpha Tau Omega.
Club: Nassau (president 1961).
Married Ruth Kemmerer, April. Children: Thomas (deceased), Norman Kemmerer, Robert Erling, Martha Dreier.