Background
Craig, Harmon was born on March 15, 1926 in New York City. Son of John Richard and Virginia (Stanley) Craig.
Craig, Harmon was born on March 15, 1926 in New York City. Son of John Richard and Virginia (Stanley) Craig.
Master of Science, University of Chicago, 1950; Doctor of Philosophy, University of Chicago, 1951; Doctor honoris causa, U. Paris, 1983; Doctor of Science, University of Chicago, 1992.
In 1955 he was recruited to Scripps Institution of Oceanography by Roger Revelle. Craig developed new methods in radiocarbon dating and applied the radioisotope and isotope distribution to various topics in marine-, geo-, and cosmochemistry. As professor of Geochemistry and Oceanography at Scripps, Craig produced fundamental findings about how the deep earth, oceans and atmosphere work.
GEOSECS produced the most complete set of ocean chemistry data ever collected. Craig discovered submarine hydrothermal vents by measuring helium 3 and radon emitted from seafloor spreading centers. He made 17 dives to the bottom of the ocean in the ALVIN submersible, including the first descent into the Mariana Trough, where he discovered hydrothermal vents nearly 3700m deep.
Craig led 28 oceanographic expeditions and traveled to the East African Rift Valley, The Dead Sea, Tibet, Yunnan (China) and many other places to sample volcanic rocks and gases. He visited all the major volcanic island chains of the Pacific and Indian Oceans to collect lava samples. He identified 16 mantle hotspots where volcanic 'plumes' rise from the Earth's core through the deep mantle by measuring their helium 3 to helium 4 ratio, identifying the higher helium 3 content present in the hotspots as primordial helium.
He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. In 1998 he was awarded the Balzan Prize for Geochemistry. On that occasion, he was quoted as saying "The Prize's most significant effect was to establish that Geochemistry, especially Isotope Geochemistry, which began in 1947, had come of age and is a mature science.
This was much more important than the specific person chosen for the award.".
Served with United States Navy, 1944-1946. Member NAS, American Geophysical Union., Explorers Club, Geological Society American.
Married Valerie Kopecky, September 27, 1947. Children— Claudia Campbell, Cynthia Camilla, Karen Constance.