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= Personal Life = Florence R. Weber was an award winning geologist who left her mark in the field through various contributions and advancements. Weber obtained her undergraduate degree in Geology from the University of Chicago in 1943 and continued on to earn her Masters in Geology in 1948. Weber's accomplishments went beyond just academics, she received her pilots licence in 1945, and was also a ham radio operator during the 1950's. Weber's work on the radio lead her to meet her husband Al Weber. Al Weber used to listen to Florence on the radio when she was on the air and became very interested in meeting her. His friends told him that “she was unmeetable”, and that “[he] would never get to her”. After Florence’s radio transmitter had stopped working properly one day, Al offered his services to come and fix it. After playing hard to get, Florence finally accepted the help. This first meeting was not the last, as they were then married for 60 years. During their time together, they were constantly exploring. They embarked on adventures and activities which included trips to New Zealand and Australia. Highlighted excursions were their travels in motorhomes in which they toured the United States and Canada. This travel method allowed Florence to do her own discovery of the land during these trips. In her final years, Weber struggled with dementia until her passing on January 18th, 2018. = Recognition and Awards = Florence Weber was recognized by National Geographic for some of her unique adventures. An article written in 1957 regarding the work of six women and one man done when travelling down the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Eagle near Folbot, which was a 700-mile kayak trip. According to the National Geographic article, Florence Robinson (Weber) was called a "watchbird", because she never dozed off on the days they drifted down the river; she was always watching for hazards and interesting things to see.

She had a very long and successful career with the USGS. Weber was the author and co-author of more than maps, articles, and abstract on Alaskan geology. As well, she produced engineering geologic maps for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System route through Interior Alaska in 1971. Florence spent two years writing reports in DC which are now the 12 chapters of USGS Professional Paper 305.

Florence was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in May 1987.

In the 1990’s Weber was awarded the U.S. Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award.

= Contributions to the Field of Geology =



Some of Weber's advancements include:

Geological mapping of the Tanana B-1 Quadrangle, Central Alaska


 * This research helped to determine the potential for Alaskan land to be used for the production of metals, minerals, fuels, and geothermal resources; as well as the location and size of groundwater. It also outlined potential geological hazards of infrastructure.

Interpretive geologic bedrock map of the Tanana B-1 Quadrangle, Central Alaska

A Late Silurian age determination for the limestone of the "Lost Creek Unit", Livengood C-4 quadrangle, East-Cental Alaska


 * Helped establish that the Limestone beds in East-Central Alaska, which were original thought to be Mississippian in age were actually late Silurian.

Late Ordovician age reappraisal for the upper Fossil Creek Volcanics, and possible significance for glacio eustasy


 * "The disconformity between the uppermost Fossil creek Volcanics an the overlying basal beds of the Tolovana Limestone coincides with the widespread hiatus recognized at the Ordovikcian-Silurian boundary in shallow water settings of W and Arctic Canada and elsewhere in the world. This wildly recognized stratigraphic gap is thought to have been caused by a major sea-level drop accompanying the Late Ordovician glaciation in Gondwanaland. The stratigraphic hiatus in the White Mountains fits this pattern, because the faunas and sedimentary features indicate extremely shallow water marine conditions on both sides of the contact."

Engineered "geological problems in the Yukon Koyukuk lowland.”


 * Another of Weber's works, co-authored by Troy, L, College, has been published in peer reviewed articles such as “Short Papers in the Geologic and Hydrologic Sciences, Articles 293-435”. This piece includes a survey of the Koyukuk Lowland as well as a topographic map and aerial photograph of the Koyukuk lowland to illustrate its complexities. The paper continues to highlight how the multiplex nature of Koyukuk leads to convolution in predicting the the lands sudden and long term evolution.

Florence added to the knowledge of the regional bedrock geology within interior Alaska. This resulted in a number of studies, beginning in the late 1950s for proposed roads across Alaska, including the road to Nome.

During a period of the 1980's, Weber shared particular observations surrounding surficial deposits - particularly gold - in the lower region of rivers along the Alaska Peninsula. The understanding was that these deposits came from headwaters. Weber argued the Unga Island which was heavily mineralized was the main source of the deposits. Her understanding that glacial movement was the reason for this. The reason for this was that glaciers from the Pacific Ocean moved northward pushing toward the mountaisn of Alaska. This was not a common approach during her time however, the theory proved to be true.

Produced engineering based geologic maps in 1971 for the Trans Alaska Pipeline route from Proudhon Bay to Valdez.

= The Flying Florences =


 * Florence R. Weber and Florence Collins met at the University of Chicago as Sophomores. Here they earned both bachelor degrees and masters in geology which they received in the 1940s.
 * The two then furthered their careers as geologists working for Shell Oil in Houston, Texas. Their employment was in large part due to the shortage of men during the period of World War II.
 * During their time in Houston the pair received their pilot licenses. After visiting Alaska in during the time of the new Alaska highway, both Florences decided to remain there. They began working for the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) as microscopic rock cores analyzers.
 * Their work in Alaska also included studying the structure and stratigraphy as part of the Naval Petroleum Reserve.
 * The Florences utilized their pilot skills to discover lakes within Alaska and reach areas that their fellow male colleagues could not.