Rolf Werner Juhle

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Rolf Werner Juhle (* 1929 in Ironsides , Maryland ; † probably September 8, 1953 in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes ) was an American volcanologist and geologist .

He was the son of Bernward C. (1900–1955) and Lisa M. Juhle (1901–1994). After studying at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , he received his doctorate in 1953 with a dissertation on Mount Iliamna in Alaska . He then worked for the National Geodetic Survey and the National Research Council and kept his research focus in the northernmost state of the United States .

Today's Katmai National Park , designated in 1980, was still classified as a National Monument at the time of Juhles and was largely undeveloped. Between 1953 and 1954 several expeditions and studies under the leadership of the Alaska Recreation Survey and with the participation of numerous other institutions as part of the " Katmai Project " determined the development possibilities of the area. Long-term plans should be drawn up with three specific goals:

  1. Protecting Alaska's scenic, scientific, historical, and other recreational resources.
  2. The elaboration of park and recreational facilities.
  3. The development of tourist facilities.

Juhle spent the second half of June 1953 together with Howel Williams, Garniss Curtis and Ronald W. Kistler on the upper reaches of the Knife Creek glacier in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes . From there they explored Mount Katmai and the Trident . During the summer, he and Kistler continued these investigations. On September 8th (according to other sources on August 31st) Juhle did not return from a solo tour. After his disappearance, an extensive search was started. However, his body was never found. A rescue dog team lost the weather at the raging Knife Creek, so it was assumed that the volcanologist drowned there. On September 17, members of the United States Navy finally stopped the search.

Rolf Werner Juhle is commemorated with an inscription on his parents' tombstone in Christ Church Durham Parish Cemetery in his hometown. In addition, the 1527 meter high Mount Juhle in the Katmai National Park (58 ° 22 ′ 45 ″ N, 155 ° 09 ′ 30 ″ W) is a mountain and the Juhle Fork, a branch of Knife Creek, is named after him.

Publications (selection)

  • R. Juhle: Iliamna volcano and its basement . Baltimore 1953.
  • H. Williams, G. Curtis, R. Juhle: Mount Katmai and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Alaska (a new interpretation of the great eruptions of 1912). In: Proceedings of the 8th Pacific Science Congress (Quezon City, Philippines). Vol. II, 1953, p. 129.
  • G. Curtis, H. Williams, R. Juhle: Evidence against assimilation of andesite by rhyolite in the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. In: Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. Vol. 35, № 2, 1954, p. 378.
  • E. Muller, R. Juhle, H. Coulter: Current volcanic activity in Katmai National Monument. In: Science . Vol. 119, 1954, pp. 319-321.
  • R. Juhle, H. Coulter: The Mount Spurr eruption, July 9, 1953. In: Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. Vol. 36, № 2, 1955, pp. 199-202.
  • J. Donnay: The geological studies of Rolf Werner Juhle (1929–1953) —in memoriam. In: Journal of Geological Education. Vol. 4, № 2, Pt. 1, 1956, pp. 47-51.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ J. Fierstein, W. Hildreth: The Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912 — Largest Eruption of the Twentieth Century: Centennial Perspectives . Professional Paper 1791, Reston 2012, p. 31. Retrieved from pubs.usgs.gov ( United States Geological Survey ) on September 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. September 17, 1953, p. 3.
personal data
SURNAME Juhle, Rolf Werner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American volcanologist and geologist
DATE OF BIRTH 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Ironsides , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH uncertain: September 8, 1953
Place of death Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes