Well known for his contributions to knowledge of the physical chemistry of rock metamorphism, William Fyfe’s approach was from able experimentation and thermodynamics, coupled with an expert knowledge of field occurrence and petrography. Under hydrothermal conditions, he investigated the crystallisation of amorphous silica and synthesised aluminosilicates, and had been especially concerned with hydroxyl-ion catalysis.
In 1958, he was the leading contributor to a joint monograph with Francis J Turner and John Verhoogen which led to a new understanding of equilibrium relations in the metamorphic facies. His work on glaucophane schists employed experimental methods to produce evidence of the kinetics of the aragonite/calcite transformation under natural conditions. He contributed to the problems of atomic bonding and is the author of a standard work on solid-state geochemistry.
Professor William Fyfe CC FRS died on 11 November 2013.
Subject groups
-
Patterns in Populations
Environmental biology
