Name/Title
010 Dr. Jane L. Forsyth (1955–1965)Entry/Object ID
WOGS_010Description
Jane L. Forsyth was born and raised in Hanover, New Hampshire. She earned a bachelors in geology in 1943 from Smith College followed by a masters from the University of Cincinnati in 1946. She completed her doctorate in 1956 at The Ohio State University studying the glacial geology of Logan and Shelby Counties.
Forsyth’s first major discovery, and the subject of her 1956 dissertation, was an ancient soil sandwiched between layers of glacial sediment in a railroad outcrop near Sidney, Ohio. Using radiocarbon dating on wood preserved in the soil layer, she discovered that the soil formed between 40,000 to 22,000 years ago. She hypothesized that the glaciers were absent from Ohio during that period, allowing time for the soil to develop. The age of the “Sidney Geosol,” as it is now called, was reexamined with modern radiocarbon methods and Forsyth’s fundamental conclusions remain unchanged.
The ancient soil was evidence that glaciers advanced and retreated multiple times in Ohio during the Pleistocene, and Forsyth’s discovery launched a prolonged effort by geologists to understand the regional distribution and timing of glacial events.
Following her work at the Survey, Forsyth became the first female geology professor at Bowling Green State University, overcoming the lack of opportunities given to female academics during this time. In this role, Forsyth expanded public knowledge about Ohio’s geologic landscape by publishing and teaching prolifically. Through field trips (her preferred teaching method) Forsyth taught others how to study and interpret the natural landscape.Photograph Details
Subject Person or Organization
Ohio Geological SurveyContext
The landscape of northern and western Ohio is primarily a product of the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago), a period of repeated glaciations that left behind a complicated array of sediments and landforms. Geologists have worked for years to interpret the sedimentary evidence of glaciations in Ohio. But Jane L. Forsyth, known as “the Queen of the Pleistocene,” raised the bar for her many contributions to our knowledge of Pleistocene geology.Collection
Women of The Ohio Geological SurveyCataloged By
Molly E. Hunt, Madge Fitak, Melinda Higley
