Robin Langford Oliver (1921-2001)
Papers 1944-1986
MSS 0018
Biographical Note
Dr. Robin Oliver was appointed Lecturer in the Geology Department of the University of Adelaide in 1958, having undertaken his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at Victoria University, Wellington, N.Z. (1941, 1943) and his Ph.D. at Cambridge (1953). His principal interests during his thirty years at Adelaide as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer (1958-87) were metamorphic petrology and the geology of Antarctica. He undertook field work in many countries between 1940 and 1958, including Venezuela, Pakistan and Ceylon and made seven visits to the Antarctic between 1959 and 1982.
Dr. Oliver deposited these papers with the University Archives in 1987. There are no access restrictions.
Contents Summary
Series 1- 4 Thesis and lecture notes
Series 5-18 Research projects and papers, and consulting work (Antarctic research 15-18)
Series 19-22 Correspondence
Series 23-28 Study leave and research grants
Series 29 Published papers
Series 30 4th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences
Series 31 Additions
Maps are housed in MAP CABINETS
Contents Listing
Thesis and lecture notes
1. Notes, maps, photographs, negatives etc, compiled and/or used for Ph.D. thesis (Cambridge) on the rocks of the Lake District. c.1950-54. 30cm.
2. Reading lists and notes in geology, Cambridge. c.1950-54. 10cm.
3. Reading lists and notes, Mapping, Regional Petrology and Petrogenesis, Oxford. 1955. 2cm.
4. Notes, transparencies, course outlines and reading lists for lectures given in Geology I, II and III and instructions for field camps and excursions, Adelaide. c.1960-80. 45 cm.
Research projects and papers and Consulting work
5. Campbell Island - notes, reports and photographs. 1944. 4cm.
6. Pakistan survey - correspondence, notes, maps and photographs. 1956-57. 8cm.
7. Ceylon project (Ceylon Geological Survey) - notes, reports, correspondence, draft paper. 1965-70. 4cm.[Oliver was senior Geologist on the Canadian Survey Corporation Colombo Plan project in Ceylon from 1956-58 and produced a geological structure map of the island.]
8. Garnetiferous rocks from Ceylon - paper, notes, correspondence and negatives. 1964-70. 3cm.
9. Colour in charnockites - typescript paper, notes, photographs and correspondence. 1966-68. 2cm.
10. Granulite facies terrains - draft and typescript papers, correspondence, notes and photographs. 1966-68. 3cm.
11. Granulite [metamorphic] facies - draft paper, correspondence. 1966-69. 1cm.
12. Amphibole paper" [hornblendes] - drafts and correspondence with co-author, S.K. Sen. 1978-80. 2cm.
13. Hartz Range (Ruby Mine) - correspondence re geological investigation and mapping of mine site. 1981-82. 1cm.
14. George Creek structures - report on. c.1970. l cm.
14a. Rock descriptions for Cominco - no location given. Oct./Nov. 1967. 1 cm.
Antarctic Research
15. Beardmore Glacier area - draft paper, notes. nd. (c1970, although field work undertaken 1959-60]
16. Antarctic Continental shelf - correspondence regarding participation of postgraduate students on cruises of the USNS 'Eltanin'. 1967-71. 3cm.
[File includes a note on Oliver's own work on the shelf during a visit in 1964-65.
17. Windmill Islands - draft and typescript paper on the metamorphic geology of the Windmill Islands, and original plates. nd. (c.1976) 2cm.
18. Budnick Island - request for geological information on, with regard to proposed construction of a wharf at Casey. 1980. lcm.
Correspondence
19. General correspondence 1958-80. 10cm.
20. Antarctic correspondence 1959-74. 6cm.
21. Correspondence with Ken Collerson, Canada. 1973-76. 1cm.
22. Correspondence with S.K. Sen, India. 1973-76. 1cm.
[See also Amphibole paper in section 2.]
22/1. Eyre Peninsula and York Peninsula
Study Leave and Research Grants
23. ARGC grant applications and correspondence 1966-86. 5cm.
24. USSR Science Agreement with Australia - proposals of the Department for projects under. 1975. lcm. (Including aspects of the geology of the Flinders Ranges and of Oates Land, Antarctica).
25. ANARE projects - proposals, assessments, reports and related correspondence 1978-82. 4cm.
[1979-80 Enderby land, structural analysis; 1980-81 mapping of Vestfold Hills; 1981-82 structural evolution of the Windmill Islands and/or Metamorphic petrology of Adélie land]
[Include comments by Oliver on proposals by others. The proposed 1979-80 visit by Oliver to Casey was aborted for lack of an available passage, but he did visit Casey, Dumont D'Urville and Cape Denison in 1981. The 1981-82 application was unsuccessful.]
26. US-Australia-NZ projects for Antarctic research (North Victoria Land) - proposals, arrangements and related correspondence. 1978-81. 4cm.
27. URG projects - correspondence re funding. 1986. 1cm.
28. Study leave applications, reports and correspondence, 1977-78. 8cm.
Published papers
29. Reprints of papers by R.L. Oliver. 1948-83. 5cm.
4th International Symposium an Antarctic Earth Sciences
30. Papers relating to the organisation, funding and publication of proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences, Adelaide, August 1982. 1979-85. 45cm.
Comprising:
Minutes of Organising Committee, 6 June 1980-15 Dec. 1982
Correspondence, May 1979-June 1983
Proposals for Symposium, 1979-82
Cost estimates, budgets and funding requests, 1980-82
Registration forms, publicity, c.1980-82
Programme, opening ceremony arrangements
Programme details-scientific programme, accommodation, excursions. Arrangements for publication of proceedings, including draft papers and correspondence with authors, 1982-85.
Additions
31. Additions transferred from University Archives 2011. Includes:
Notebook 1978 containing readings of samples (unidentified)
Photographs, negatives, slides of rock sections, maps, graphs (mostly unidentified - some of Antarctica)
Microscope slides of rock sections (many unidentified)
Some mineral samples
