Julia Anna Gardner

Ecphora gardnerae was named after Julia Anna Gardner and is the official fossil shell of the state of Maryland. Julia Anna Gardner (January 26, 1882 – November 15, 1960) was an American geologist who worked for the United States Geological Survey for 32 years. She was known worldwide for her work in stratigraphy and mollusc paleontology.

Early life and education Gardner was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota, the only child of Charles Henry and Julia (Brackett) Gardner. She was raised in South Dakota but completed high school in North Adams, Massachusetts. paying for it with money left to her by her grandmother.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1905 and a Master's degree in 1907 from Bryn Mawr College, studying paleontology and geology. After the war she toured Japan, encouraging Japanese scientists to continue their work. Her report on the "Mollusca from the Miocene and Lower Pliocene of Virginia and North Carolina" (Professional Paper 199-A), published in 1943, built partially on the work of Dr. W. C. Mansfield, and included work Gardner had started up to 30 years earlier. This report included systemic descriptions of over 40 families of Mollusca, representing 24 superfamilies and four separate orders.

In the year 1960 at the age of 78, Gardner died at her home in Maryland.

Awards and honors Gardner was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi societies, as well as the Geological Society of America, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Paleontological Society. She served as president of the Paleontological Society in 1952 and vice presidency of the Geological Society of America in 1953. When she retired from the United States Geological Survey, she received the Distinguished Service Medal.

Ecphora gardnerae, an extinct snail shell was named after Julia Anna Gardner. In 1994 the state of Maryland designated it the official state fossil shell of Maryland. Specimens of ecphora are found along the Calvert Cliffs in Calvert County and St. Mary's County, Maryland.