Norman Falcon

Norman Leslie Falcon (29 May 1904 Braunton, Devon, UK – 31 May 1996) was a British geologist, known for his contributions to discoveries of petroleum and natural gas reserves. He was one of the outstanding petroleum geologists during the era from the 1920s to the 1960s when almost all of the oil exploration was done onshore.

Early life and education Norman Leslie Falcon had a sister and an older brother. Their parents were Thomas Adolphus Falcon, R.B.A., a Cambridge alumnus and landscape painter, and Julie Alice Falcon (née Schwabe), an accomplished pianist. After education from 1914 to 1923 at Exeter School, N. L. Falcon matriculated in 1923 at Trinity College, Cambridge. There he graduated in 1927 with a B.A. in geology and later graduated with an M.A. At Cambridge his mentors were John Edward Marr, W. B. R. King, and Tressilian Charles Nicholas (1887–1989).

Career Falcon's first geological expeditions abroad involving climbing in the French Alps with Lawrence R. Wager. In 1927 Falcon was appointed geologist to the Edge Island expedition, led by H.G. (Gino) Watkins. In late 1927 Falcon became an employee of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC). Although he published a number of papers, most of his research is recorded in confidential reports. From 1945 to 1951 Falcon remained well-informed on developments in Iran and worked on compilation studies, especially one study involving Iranian petroleum seeps. In 1946 Kuwait became a major new area of importance in oil exploration. Falcon became involved in developing the oil industry in Iraq, the Trucial States, Oman, and the Eastern Aden Protectorate.

He became in 1930 a member of the British Association (BA) and in 1967 served as President of Section C Geology at the BA's meeting in Leeds. His presidential address to the BA's Section C provided a valuable summary of Arabian Plate geology related to the Tethyan Trench.

In 1960, the Falcon family moved to a large Edwardian house with a 4.5 acre (about 1.8 hectare) garden in Chiddingfold, Borough of Waverley, Sussex. There Norman and Dorothy Falcon lived in retirement, and he enjoyed gardening and woodworking. At the house they had a solar panel installed on the roof along with a heat exchanger. The couple supported Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. Upon his death he was survived by his widow, three children, and four grandchildren.

Awards and honours In 1945, the U.S. government awarded him the Bronze Star Medal for his military intelligence service. The Geological Society of London awarded him in 1952 the Murchison Fund In 1973 he was awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Medal and was elected an Honorary Member of the American Association of Petroleum Engineers.

Selected publications

1961