Rock Star

GREW HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DISCOVERY of 13 minerals during his career—and now his own name is etched in the mineral record. Two newly discovered minerals bear the name of the geologist, who has been studying minerals for more than 60 years. Edgrewite and hydroxyledgrewite—first found as tiny crystals smaller than the period at the end of this sentence—were discovered in 2011 by a pair of Russian geologists near Mount Elbrus in Russia. Grew, former associate editor of American Mineralogist, first began working with the Russians a few years ago as he helped them prepare papers for publication. The pair chose the mineral names to recognize Grew’s work with their colleagues throughout his career, beginning in 1972 when he wintered at a Soviet base in Antarctica called Molodezhnaya Station. “It’s a very great honor, and something I had literally dreamed about for many years,” he says. The minerals are related to compounds used to make cement, and have potential uses in industrial applications.

Grew says he first became interested in minerals as a young boy. He remembers collecting the rare minerals containing boron and beryllium on his own while growing up in Andover, Massachusetts. He went on to study geology at Dartmouth, and now he’s in his 28th year as a research professor in the earth sciences department at the University of Maine. His focus remains on the role boron and beryllium play in the changes rocks undergo at high temperatures and pressures in the earth’s crust. His research has taken him all over the globe, including nine expeditions to Antarctica.

Geologist Grew holds a sample from Antarctica that contains the mineral prismatine.