User:Pinksbk28/Peggy-Kay Hamilton

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= Peggy-Kay Hamilton = Peggy-Kay Hamilton (1922-1959) was a Research Associate in Mineralogy at the Department of Geology at Columbia University.

Hamilton was known for her research breakthroughs while developing Research Project 49, the study of Clay mineral s. She was also involved in the study of Uranium.

(Kerr, 1961)

(Kerr & Hamilton, 1951)

(Hamilton & Kerr, 1959)

Hamilton achieved success in the fields of geology, mineralogy and according to Dr. Paul F. Kerr; frequent research partner and friend; was held in high regard from  both students at Columbia University as well professional colleagues at multiple scientific research institutions.

- Kerr, P.F. (1960). Memorial of Peggy - Kay Hamilton. The American Mineralogist, 45, 399-401.

- Kerr, P.F. (1961). Biographical sketches of deceased members. The Canadian Mineralogist. 6(5), 706-708

Hamilton was a member of the international non-profit honour society known as Sigma Xi as well as an elected as fellow of the Mineralogical society of America in 1957 and the following year in 1958 also elected as a fellow into the Geological Society of America.

- Kerr, P.F. (1960). Memorial of Peggy - Kay Hamilton. The American Mineralogist, 45, 399-401.

- Kerr, P.F. (1961). Biographical sketches of deceased members. The Canadian Mineralogist. 6(5), 706-708

Early life
Hamilton was born in Illinois, in 1922. Throughout her childhood, Peggy lived in Eastchester, New York with her father Fred, E. Hamilton and mother, Jessie. L. Hamilton. Peggy-Kay had two sisters by the names of Rozanne Hamilton and Gynneth Hamilton.[ citation needed]

Education
After graduating from Vassar College in 1944, Hamilton went on to study Mineralogy and Geology at Columbia University. She successfully completed a Master's degree at Columbia in 1947.

Although Hamilton did not complete a doctoral degree, she completed the research and publication equivalents of several doctorates.

Throughout her career, Hamilton was well known for her work as a Research Associate in Columbia University's Department of Geology.

(Kerr, 1961)

Career
While working as a Research Associate in Columbia University's Department of Geology, Hamilton became a notable contributor to Mineralogy research. Hamilton focused her studies on Clay mineral s and differentiating the various types of clay minerals. Along with her colleague Paul F. Kerr, Hamilton produced many publications. (Kerr, P.F., & Hamilton, P.K., 1958) (Kerr, 1961)

One of Hamilton's first breakthroughs was through her publication of Research Project 49 on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute. Soon after, she became dedicated to finding the origin and nature of Uranium. While investigating the mineralization of Uranium, she found radioactive blue-black soot masses and carbonaceous trash in Cameron, Arizona. Her work on Uranium was published multiple times to the Division of Raw Materials of the Atomic Energy Commission. Her work was also published in the American Mineralogist and the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America. Her project to classify Uranium led to her major discoveries of Umohoite and Chrome-Mica-Clay. While analyzing Umohoite, Hamilton noticed that any fresh surface of the mineral developed a bright blue powder-like substance. She later determined that this substance is molybdenum efflorescence (composed mostly of ilesmannite), and formed a few days after the mineral had been exposed to the atmosphere. With use of X-ray spectroscopy, uranium was indeed discovered in the mineral, as well as silica, sulfur, iron, cobalt, nickel, arsenic and thallium. After traveling to several locations around the world for the collection of samples, including the Soviet Union, it is discovered that this mineral is far more diverse and distributed than originally thought.

Publications
Hamilton also classified various clay minerals, which led to her publication on the Glossary of Clay Mineral Names. Scattered through this publication are notes for readers who may not have extended knowledge about geology, to help them make sense of the observed properties or characteristics.


 * Kerr, Paul F., and Peggy Kay. Hamilton. Glossary of Clay Mineral Names. New York : Columbia University, 1949 : [Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms International, 1978. Print. American Petroleum Institute. Clay Mineral Standards. Preliminary Report ; No. 1.

One of Hamilton's first breakthroughs was developing Research Project 49, known as the study of clay minerals.


 * Kerr, Paul F, Peggy K. Hamilton, and John L. Kulp. Preliminary Reports Reference Clay Minerals: American Petroleum Institute Research Project 49. New York: Columbia Univ, 1951. Print.

Hamilton's use of x-ray diffraction and other mineralogical techniques led to discovery of the compositions of chrome mica clay.


 * Kerr, Paul Francis, and Hamilton, Peggy-Kay. "Chrome Mica-clay, Temple Mountain, Utah." The American Mineralogist 43.1-2 (1958): 34-47. Web.

With more investigations on Uranium came the discovery of Umohoite. Hamilton and her research partner Paul Francis used x-ray diffraction to determine the components and properties of Umohoite.


 * Hamilton, Peggy-Kay, and Kerr, Paul Francis. "Umohoite from Cameron, Arizona." The American Mineralogist 44.11-12 (1959): 1248-1260. Web.

This study confirmed the presence of fine-grained umohoite in Cameron, Arizona as a third locale for umohoite in the United States. With this discovery and the confirmation of umohoite  found in the U.S.S.R, Hamilton and Kerr concluded that the rare mineral "is more widespread in occurrence than was known previously, and the fine-grained form may be considerably more abundant than is now known."

Source: Hamilton, P.K., & Kerr, P.F., (1959). Umohite from Cameron, Arizona. The American Minerologist. .44, 1248-1260.

Death
On September 19, 1959, at age 37, Hamilton passed away at the Lawrence Hospital [ NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester] in Bronxville, New York. Hamilton died following a short, sudden illness and a cerebral operation for cancer.

(Kerr, 1960)