John Chambers Crowell was born on May 12, 1917, in State College, Pennsylvania, to James and Helen Crowell. His family later moved to Claremont, California, where his father became a professor of Romance languages. In California, Crowell developed enduring interests in science and the outdoors and met Betty, the artist who became his wife. He and Betty were married for 61 years and had one daughter, Martha.
Crowell earned a Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of Texas in 1939. He subsequently undertook graduate study at the University of California, Los Angeles, while also receiving specialized training in oceanographic meteorology. In 1946 he earned a Master of Arts in oceanographic meteorology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and in 1947 he received a Doctor of Philosophy in geology from UCLA. His doctoral research concerned the geology of the Tejon Pass region in California. In 1966 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Louvain.
Crowell began his professional career as a geologist with Shell Oil Company in Ventura, California, from 1941 to 1942. During World War II he served with the U.S. Army as an oceanographic meteorologist and became part of the weather-forecasting team supporting General Dwight D. Eisenhower's Operation Overlord; his forecasts of sea, swell, and surf contributed to planning for the Normandy invasion, for which he received the Bronze Star. After completing his graduate degrees, he joined UCLA's geology faculty as an instructor in 1947, advancing to assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. He chaired the geology department during two periods, from 1957 to 1960 and from 1963 to 1967, and became a distinguished university professor. In 1967 he moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he served as a professor of geology until 1987 and subsequently held emeritus status. At UCSB he taught structural geology, field studies in tectonics, and graduate seminars in structure and tectonics, and with Preston Cloud he helped establish the Environmental Studies Program. His research and teaching continued after retirement, including field-based work and international short courses for professional geological organizations and industry.
Conducted influential research in structural geology, tectonics, sedimentology, interpretation of sedimentary rocks, the San Andreas and San Gabriel fault systems, California tectonics, ancient glaciation, continental drift, and paleoclimatology.
Demonstrated the large displacement associated with the southern San Andreas Fault system, contributing to later understanding of transform-fault tectonics.
Developed influential interpretations of the Ridge Basin in southern California as a pull-apart basin formed through the interaction of tectonics and sedimentation.
Produced a comprehensive synthesis of Late Paleozoic and older glaciations across the Gondwanan continents and their relationship to paleogeography and climate.
Helped establish the Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
(Geological Society of America Special Paper 71 examining ...)
1962The San Andreas Fault System Through Time
(Synthesis of the geological development and tectonic sign...)
1979Submarine Canyons Bordering Central and Southern California
(Research article on the geology and origin of submarine c...)
1952Directional-Current Structures from the Prealpine Flysch, Switzerland
(Study of sedimentary structures and current directions in...)
1955(Study of Late Paleozoic glaciation and sedimentary histor...)
1972Origin of Pebbly Mudstones
(Analysis of the origins and depositional significance of ...)
1957(Co-authored with Lawrence A. Frakes; study of Late Paleoz...)
1969(Geological Society of America Memoir 192, presenting a sy...)
1999Crowell was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the Geological Society of America, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Geophysical Union, and the National Academy of Sciences. His professional affiliations connected his research in structural geology, sedimentation, tectonics, and paleoclimatology with the wider geological community, and he also taught continuing-education courses for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
Fellow.
American Association for the Advancement of Science , United States
Member; recipient of the Penrose Medal in 1995 and the Career Contribution Award.
Geological Society of America , United States
Fellow.
American Academy of Arts and Sciences , United States
Member and instructor in continuing-education programs.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists , United States
Member.
American Geophysical Union , United States
Elected member in the geology section.
National Academy of Sciences , United States
1981
Crowell was described by colleagues as intellectually energetic, candid, ethically serious, generous toward students, and open to differing viewpoints. He was especially associated with an adventurous, field-oriented approach to geology and with an ability to connect detailed observations of outcrops to broad tectonic interpretations.
Quotes from others about the person
Colleagues and students remembered Crowell as an exceptionally influential field geologist and teacher whose ability to relate individual geological features to regional tectonic processes made field study with him an unusually formative experience.
Crowell was the son of James and Helen Crowell and the husband of Betty Crowell, with whom he shared 61 years of marriage. Their daughter was Martha Bobroskie. Professionally, Crowell maintained significant connections with UCLA and the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he taught and supervised generations of geology students, and with Preston Cloud, with whom he helped found the UCSB Environmental Studies Program.
