Esther Applin

Esther Applin (November 24, 1895 – July 23, 1972) was an American geologist and paleontologist. Applin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1919 from University of California, Berkeley, later a Master's, focusing on microfossils. She was a leading figure in the use of microfossils to determine the age of rock formations, for use in oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico region.

Early life and education

Applin was born Esther Richards on November 24, 1895, in Newark, Ohio, to Gary Richards, a civil engineer with the United States Army, and Jennie DeVore. She grew up in Newark, and later Iowa, eventually moving to San Francisco at the age of 12. Richards lived on Alcatraz Island until 1920 while her father worked on the construction of Alcatraz Prison.

Applin attended the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1919 with a degree in paleontology, geology, and physiography. In 1920, she left California, moving to Houston to work for the Rio Bravo Oil company. While at Berkeley Richards had focused her studies on larger fossils, however this theoretical education proved to be of little value for underground drilling, because remnants of the fossils in drill cuttings were too small to effectively identify. She determined that the microfossils found in the drill cuttings could be useful in the correlation of underground rock formations. She then returned to California, and studied micropaleontology, earning a Master's degree.

In 1923 Richards married Paul Applin, who was also a geologist.^[1]

Career

In 1921 Applin presented a paper in Amherst, Massachusetts, stating her theory that microfossils could be used in oil exploration, specifically the dating of the rock formations in the Gulf of Mexico region. Her theory was disputed by a University of Texas at Austin professor.^[1] In 1925, Applin coauthored a paper which reported her findings that oil-bearing rock formations in the Gulf Coast region could in fact be dated using microfossils.^[2] Applin remained with Rio Bravo until 1927, continuing to lead the use of micropaleontology in the oil industry.^[1]

Applin later went to work alongside her husband at the United States Geological Survey, with the task of linking the oil fields of East Texas, across the southeaster United States, and into Florida, using micropaleontology and other methods.^[3]

Publications

• Applin, Esther. "A Microfauna From the Coker Formation, Alabama" (PDF). Geological Survey Bulletin. United States Geological Survey (1160-D). 
• Applin, Esther. "A Biofacies of Woodbine Age in Southeastern Gulf Coast Region" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. 
• Applin, Paul Livingston; Applin, Esther (1965). "The Comanche Series and associated rocks in the subsurface in central and south Florida" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. 
• Applin, Paul Livingston; Applin, Esther (1947). "Regional subsurface stratigraphy, structure, and correlation of middle and early Upper Cretaceous rocks in Alabama, Georgia, and north Florida". US Geological Survey Publication. 
• Maher, John Charles; Applin, Esther R (1971). "Geologic framework and petroleum potential of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and continental shelf". United States Geological Survey. 
• Applin, Paul Livingston; Applin, Esther (1953). "The cored section in George Vasen's Fee well 1, Stone County, Mississippi". United States Geological Survey. 
• Applin, Paul L.; Applin, Esther R. (1953). "The Cored Section in George Vasen's Fee Well 1 Stone County, Mississippi" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. 

References