Basil Charles King (1915–1985) was a British geologist.
Early life and education King was educated at King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds, and went on to study geology at Durham University. He graduated in 1936 with first-class honours.
Career and research After graduating, King worked as a demonstrator at Bedford College, London, before joining the Geological Survey of Uganda. He later returned to Britain and joined the geology department at the University of Glasgow, where he became a senior lecturer. In 1956, he returned to Bedford College as professor of geology.
In 1950 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh — his proposers were Neville George, John Weir, George Walter Tyrrell, and Arthur Holmes. He became a member of the Geological Society of London in 1949; they later awarded him the Bigsby Medal in 1959.
His health failing, King retired and moved to Catacol on the Isle of Arran in 1977.
Personal life King married Dorothy Margaret Wells in 1939, who predeceased him. They had four children, including the seismologist Geoffrey King.
He died on 11 September 1985.
Selected publications
References