Great Geologists | 97
of diachronous facies greatly influenced him. Grabau also
recognised the need for a better classification of sedimentary
rocks, separating grain size from composition. Accordingly, he
introduced the terms rudite, arenite and lutite to distinguish
different grain sizes, which could be given prefixes to describe
composition, e.g. calcarenite, to describe a limestone with sand-
sized grains.
Unfortunately, the First World War was to bring about a change
in fortunes. Like many Americans of German descent, Grabau
sympathised with the position of the Kaiser. This brought him
into conflict with both his wife and colleagues at Columbia
University. The situation at Columbia was further exacerbated
by political infighting in the Geology department. No matter the
quality of his publications, Grabau was seen as a troublemaker
and by the end of the war; he had lost his university position and
separated from his wife.
From adversity often springs opportunity. For Grabau, it came
in the form of an offer to take on the position of Professor of
Paleontology at Peking University and Chief Paleontologist to the
Chinese Geological Survey. By 1920, at the age of 50, he was
on his way to China to embark on an entirely new phase of his
career and personal life. Grabau had just completed A Textbook
of Geology, which provided the ideal basis for his new courses
(taught in English).
Redrafted version of Grabau’s 1936 expression of Paleozoic
transgressions and regressions — “pulsation theory”. Note the
similarity to modern-day chronostratigraphic charts showing
diachronous facies and significant time gaps.
American literature, with her book, The Promised Land (1912),
being a bestseller promoting the unprecedented opportunities for
immigrants in America.
At the same time, Grabau was authoring important publications
of his own. The two-volume North American Index of
Fossils appeared in 1909 and 1910; and in 1913, Principles of
Stratigraphy was published—one of the classics of 20th century
geology—showing Grabau’s instinct for synthesis that was to
reach a zenith during his years in China.
Fluent in both English and German, Grabau had been in contact
with geologist Johannes Walther of Germany, whose concepts
The opportunity to teach in China came about because of the
efforts of Deng Wenjiang, also known as V.K. Ting. Ting, as
Director of the fledgling Chinese Geological Survey, recognised
the need to raise the status of geology in China, both to secure
its economic fortunes and because the geology of China could
offer so much to research. Ting had been trained in mineralogy
and physical geology at the University of Glasgow and wanted to
expedite the infusion of Western science into China. Accordingly,
he asked David White, the Chief Geologist of the U.S. Geological
Survey, for a recommendation. It was White who pointed him
towards Grabau, a very fortunate choice.
The first few years in China were exciting times for Grabau. He
quickly came to grips with the geology of the country, publishing
a string of papers and books, culminating in The Stratigraphy of
China. He taught ever larger classes of students and developed
a pool of Chinese researchers, who went on to lead research
teams of their own, so that very rapidly, Chinese geoscience
research and teaching was on a sure footing.
It was not long after Grabau had arrived in China that fragments
of humanoid fossil skeletons were discovered that became
known as “Peking Man” (a form of Homo erectus). This
discovery put China on the map scientifically, with Peking
becoming a centre of gravity for researchers and adventurers,
alike. Grabau found himself in the midst of inspiring expatriates,