Dorothy Jung Echols


Dorothy Jung Echols was a prominent figure in geology in her time, making contributions in the petroleum industry and later teaching as a professor in the department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Echols received her Bachelor of Arts degree in geology from New York University in 1936, and later went on to received her Master's in geology from Columbia University in 1938. In 1982, Echols received the Neil A. Miner Award from the National Association of Geology Teachers which is awarded to exceptional individuals that promote interest in earth sciences.

Contributions to geology

Echols became involved in the petroleum industry from 1938 to 1946 which led her to work on the Deep Sea Drilling Project. During this time Echols was one of the few female geologist working in the petroleum industry. The Deep Sea Drilling Project, which gathered information that would help determine the age and processes of ocean basins, consulted her as shipboard sedimentologist. In 1948 Echols explained Wilcox’s relationship with the Midway sea through time. Additionally, she found where and discovered that the petroleum deposits were so rich in that area due to the surrounding materials, and the interaction of these surrounding materials with one another. These interactions allowed for the petroleum to seep into the sands and become trapped in an impenetrable seal of rock. In addition, much of her career was spent in the field of micropaleontology, specializing in microfossils. During this time she published an article in the Micropaleontology magazine, titled "Chalk crayons and microfossil contamination" alongside Harold L. Levin, first published on January 1, 1964. In 1956, Echols pioneered the idea that ostracode carapaces moved during Fern Glen because of currents moving over shallow areas. This study was a vital foundation for further research.