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Carlotta Maury

Carlotta Maury (1874-1938) was a geologist, stratigrapher, and paleontologist, and was one of the first women to work as a professional scientist in the oil and gas industry. Prejudice against professional women at the time did not affect Maury due to her extensive knowledge, and recognized technical skills and capabilities.^[1]

Early Life and Education

Maury was born in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. From her mother’s side, she was a descendent of Portuguese nobility. The family ancestor used to serve at the court of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil. This connection had a positive impact on her career. Maury was given a good education. After spending a year at Sorbonne for post-graduate studies, she completed her PhD at Cornell University in 1902, making her one of the first women to receive her PhD in paleontology.^[1]

Career

Upon completion of her degree, Maury spent a couple years teaching, but eventually returned to the field joining a team led by G. D. Harris, her former Cornell advisor. The team’s objective was to investigate oil-rich areas off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. The information provided was the first significant geological information about the oil-producing area it is today. Maury’s specific contribution to the team’s research efforts was assembling data based on paleontological findings in order to create a structure map of a large region. The team’s analysis has only needed minor adjustments since being published.

In 1910 she started working for the Royal Dutch Shell as a consulting geologist and stratigrapher, and then for General Asphalt Co. as part of a team to explore areas of Old Eocene beds in Trinidad and Venezuela. Her findings of fossils and fauna were the first of their kind in the Caribbean and South America. After teaching at Huguenot College in Wellington, South Africa, she returned to the Caribbean in 1916 as a leader of the Maury Expedition to the Dominican Republic, despite political instability in the area at the time. Her goal was to order the stratigraphic layers of the Miocene and Oligocene eras, which were composed of sedimentary rock with heavy fossil deposits. This resulted in the discovery of 400 new species. Her work formed the foundation of the present day International Dominican Republic Project, which is a research effort that aims to dissect evolutionary change in the Caribbean from the Miocene era to the present day.

Maury was reputable for working speedily, while paying attention to detail and upholding a high level of enthusiasm. Her skills and capabilities were highly acknowledged that she became an official paleontologist with the Geological and Mineralogical Service of Brazil. While in this position, she published multiple monographs and Mineralogical Service Bulletins between 1919-1937.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Creese, M. R. (2007). [null Fossil hunters, a cave explorer and a rock analyst; notes on some] early women contributors to geology. In C. V. Burek & B. Higgs(Eds.), The role of women in the history of geology, (vol. 281, 39-49). London, UK: Geological Society of London.

[:0-1] Creese, M. R. (2007). [null Fossil hunters, a cave explorer and a rock analyst; notes on some] early women contributors to geology. In C. V. Burek & B. Higgs(Eds.), The role of women in the history of geology, (vol. 281, 39-49). London, UK: Geological Society of London.

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