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The 1984 Joseph A. Cushman Award
Hans Martin Bolli |
In 1984, the Directors of the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research in a rare and unusual occurrence, voted to honor the efforts of two outstanding micropaleontogists with The Joseph A. Cushman Award, Paul Brönnimann and Hans Martin Bolli. A native of Zürich, Switzerland, Hans Bolli completed his doctoral eduction at the University of Zürich where his dissertation research was concerned with the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Helvetic Nappes. In this classic work, which is still much used by Swiss geologists, Hans Bolli began his life-long study of planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and established an early globotruncanid stratigraphy based largely on thin-section analysis of limestones and marls. Following his university training, Hans Bolli joined Trinidad Lease Holders, Ltd. (later acquired by Texaco) where he was in charge of the micropaleontological laboratory. At the time (1946-1958), benthic foraminifera were the principal means of biostratigraphic correlation in the petroleum industry and micropaleontogists working in the Caribbean region were frequently frustrated by finding few benthic species amongst the flood of planktonic foraminfera recovered in cuttings from boreholes. Based upon his earlier work with globotruncanid faunas in the Helvetic Nappes, Hans Bolli recognized the stratigraphic potential of the planktonic species and together with his colleagues began to construct a workable stratigraphic zonation. However, before the correlative potential of planktonic foraminifera could be fully realized, the numerous taxonomic and systematic problems which previously had discouraged their use had to be resolved. While working towards this goal, Hans Bolli came to know and ultimately collaborate with Helen Tappan and Alfred R. Loeblich, Jr., on the now classic monograph on planktonic foraminifera, U.S. National Museum Bulletin 215. In this publication, Hans Bolli proposed zonations for the Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene, and contributed to the revised generic classification. His zonations have served as a model for two generations of stratigraphic micropaleontologists and the faunal basis for his schemes can be easily detected in the so-called standard tropical zonations in wide use today. In 1958, Bolli moved to Venezuela where he became the micropaleontologist in charge of the Atlantic Refining Laboratory in Caracas and in 1960 joined the Shell Laboratories in Caracas and later, Maracaibo. During his years in Venezuela, he continued to refine his zonations and applied them throughout the Caribbean, South America and elsewhere. After nearly twenty years as an economic paleontologist, Bolli returned to Zürich where he accepted the position of Professor of Geology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). From 1975 through 1977 he served as chairman of the Geology Department. Following his retirement in 1984, he accepted an emeritus position at the University of Zürich. During his years at the ETH, Hans Bolli continued his research in stratigraphy geology and micropaleontology, extended his interests into the deep-sea and became an important participant in the Deep-Sea Drilling Project. He served as shipboard scientist on DSDP Legs 4, 15, and 27, and was co-chief scientist on Leg 40 in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. He also served the science in other ways. During the past twenty years he has served as Secretary General of the IUGS Commission on Stratigraphy, Chairman of the IUGS Commission on Stratigraphy "Working Groups for Correlation of Cretaceous and Cenozoic Marine Deposits," and Vice Chairman of the IUGS Subcommission on Paleogene Stratigraphy. He was chairman of the JOIDES Advisory Panel on Ocean Paleoenvironment (1974-77), and in 1981-82, he was elected President of the Paleontological Society of Switzerland. The directors of the Cushman Foundation take pride in recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of Hans Bolli as a teacher and scientist, and for his major contributions to the study of foraminifera, in awarding him The Joseph A. Cushman Award. ROBERT G. DOUGLAS, University of Southern California
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