P000225 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn updated 2026-04-22 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000225b.htm person Benson William Noel FRS AACR2 26 December 1885 20 August 1957 Place of Birth Anerley, near London, England Place of Death Dunedin, New Zealand Geologist Mineralogist University Administrator William Benson was one of the most notable geologists in Australia and New Zealand in the first half of the twentieth century. He research in New South Wales included pioneering studies on the composition and origins of the Great Serpentine Belt. In New Zealand he made detailed studies of the petrology in the South Island, and evolved new ideas on New Zealand geomorphology. He was also interested in the palaeography and structure of Pacific margin. Benson was lecturer at the University of Sydney before becoming Professor of Geology at the University of Otago in 1917, a position he held for over 30 years. He published over 100 papers and received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to Australian and New Zealand geology. His participation in scientific societies included as President of Section C (Geology) of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 1907 1907 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney 1908 1908 Career position - Lecturer in mineralogy and petrology, University of Adelaide 1909 1911 Career position - Demonstrator, Geology Department, University of Sydney 1911 1911 Award - 1851 Exhibition Science Research Scholarship 1913 1913 Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA(Research)), University of Cambridge 1913 1913 Life event - Travellling in Europe 1914 1916 Award - Linnean Macleay Fellowship (Geology), for study at the University of Sydney 1915 1917 Career position - Lecturer, Geology Department, University of Sydney 1916 1916 Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Sydney 1917 1951 Career position - Professor of Geology, University of Otago, New Zealand 1921 1921 Career position - President, Section C (Geology and Mineralogy), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1933 1933 Award - Hector Medal, Royal Society of New Zealand 1933 1933 Award - Lyell Fund, Geological Society of London 1939 1939 Award - Lyell Medal, Geological Society of London 1944 1944 Award - Hutton Medal, Royal Society of New Zealand 1945 1945 Award - Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales 1945 1947 Career position - President, Royal Society of New Zealand 1951 1951 Award - Mueller Medal, ANZAAS 1951 1951 Career event - Retired 1951 1957 Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS) 1951 1957 Award - Honorary Member, Mineralogical Society of London Mueller Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (1904 - 2006)

Awarded the Medal 1951

 Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales (1878 - )

Awarded the Medal 1945

 The University of Sydney (1850 - )

Demonstrator 1909 - 1911; Lecturer 1915 - 1917

 The University of Adelaide (1874 - 2026)

Lecturer in mineralogy and petrology 1908

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (1888 - 1930)

President, Section C (Geology and Mineralogy) 1921

 Linnean Macleay Fellowship (1905 - )

Awarded the Fellowship (Geology) 1914 - 1916

 1851 Exhibition Scholarship Awards, Australia (1891 - )

1851 Exhibition Science Research Scholarship: 1911

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Benson, William Noel (1885-1957)

Trove

 'Benson, William Noel', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Benson, William Noel Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: William Noel Benson Hills, E. S. William Noel Benson 1958 Biographical memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 4 27-33 Journal Article: Obituary: Professor W. N. Benson, FRS Browne, W. R. Obituary: Professor W. N. Benson, FRS 1958 Australian Journal of Science 20 6 175-176 Conference Paper: The Great Serpentine Belt of New South Wales: Evolution of Ideas from Benson through Vallance to the Present Barkas, J. P.; Aitchison, J. C. The Great Serpentine Belt of New South Wales: Evolution of Ideas from Benson through Vallance to the Present Sydney International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences 1994 Useful and Curious Geological Enquiries Beyond the World: Pacific-Asia Historical Themes: The 19th International INHIGEO Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 4-8 July, 1994 D. F. Branagan and G. H. McNally 241-247 Journal Article: The geology and petrology of the Great Serpentine Belt of New South Wales, part 1 Benson, William Noel The geology and petrology of the Great Serpentine Belt of New South Wales, part 1 1913 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 38 490-517 Journal Article: Notes on the geology of the Cradle Mountain district, with a bibliography of the Pleistocene glaciation of Tasmania Benson, William Noel Notes on the geology of the Cradle Mountain district, with a bibliography of the Pleistocene glaciation of Tasmania 1917 Papers and proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1916 29-43 Journal Article: William Noel Benson, 1885-1957 Benson, W. R. William Noel Benson, 1885-1957 1959 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 84 403-409 Journal Article: William Noel Benson, 1885 - 1957 (Memorial series, no. 16) W. R. B. [ie William R. Browne] William Noel Benson, 1885 - 1957 (Memorial series, no. 16) 1960 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 84 3 403-9 Resource Section: Benson, Gertrude Helen and Benson, William Noel Campbell, J. D. Benson, Gertrude Helen and Benson, William Noel 1998 Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Journal Article: Obituary [W. N. Benson] Anon Obituary [W. N. Benson] 1964 Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 92 97-108 Journal Article: William Noel Benson (1885-1957): Insights into the Life and Work of an Eminent Geologist Mayer, Wolf William Noel Benson (1885-1957): Insights into the Life and Work of an Eminent Geologist 2013 Earth Sciences History 32 1 55-85 Book: The Linnean Society of New South Wales (founded 1874) for "the cultivation and study of the science of natural history in all its branches": historical notes of its first fifty years (jubilee publication) Walkom, A. B. The Linnean Society of New South Wales (founded 1874) for "the cultivation and study of the science of natural history in all its branches": historical notes of its first fifty years (jubilee publication) Sydney Australasian Medical Publishing Company 1925