Samuel J. Shand

Prof Samuel James Shand (1882–1957) was a British mineralogist and petrologist, specialising in silicate analysis and igneous petrology.

Life He was born in Edinburgh on 29 October 1882 the son of James Shand (1851–1929), originally from Sandsting in Shetland, and Catherine Grant Hunter from Lerwick in Shetland. In 1881 the family had moved from Shetland to Taap Hall, a curious Georgian tenement on Ferry Road in the Leith district. However they moved to "Selivoe" on Park Road in the Newhaven district and James was born there.

Shand received his secondary education at George Watson's College, Edinburgh, and then in 1905 received his BSc in science from University College, Dundee, which from 1897 to 1967 was part of the University of St Andrews. He then became a graduate student at the University of Münster and received a PhD (Promotion) there in 1906 with thesis advisor . Upon Shand's return to Scotland, he became an assistant curator in charge of the geological collections at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh from 1907 to 1911. He received a D.Sc. from the University of St Andrews in 1910.

His classification of eruptive rocks was based mainly on the extent to which the rocks were saturated with silica, their mineralogical composition and texture. The classification was later developed further in his book Eruptive rocks; their genesis, composition, classification, and their relation to ore deposits (London, 1927; 4th ed. 1951), which ensured his international reputation. According to Scholtz (1946) his classification of eruptive rocks and studies of the petrology of South African alkaline rocks constitute one of the most fundamental contributions made by members of the Geological Society of South Africa during its first 50 years.

His parents had moved to Broughty Ferry near Dundee and recreated a family home there. He died at 1 Fintry Place in Broughty Ferry on 11 April 1957.

Family

In 1913 he married Anna Davidson (d.1947).

He was younger brother to Dr John Glendinning Bryden Shand who moved to Glasgow.

Shand's definition of alkaline rock

Shand (1922)

Awards and honours Shand was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Geological Society of London, which awarded him in 1950 its Lyell Medal. He was for the year 1923 the president of the Geological Society of South Africa, which awarded him in 1937 its Draper Memorial Medal. The mineral shandite, a lead-nickel-sulfide occurring in the serpentine subgroup, was discovered and named in his honour by Paul Ramdohr in 1950.

Selected publications Articles

Books rev. & enlarged 3rd ed. 1959 rev. & enlarged 2nd ed. 1937 4th ed. 1951