Alexander McKay (11 April 1841 – 8 July 1917) was a New Zealand geologist. He was born in Carsphairn, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland on 11 April 1841.[1]

McKay reached New Zealand in 1863 where he spent a number of years prospecting for gold.[2] A meeting with Julius von Haast saw a change of direction in which McKay, largely self-taught, undertook geological mapping and fossil collecting expeditions throughout the islands.

McKay harboured dreams of becoming a commercial photographer. In 1867 he was based on an isolated farm in South Canterbury and in 1868 spent several weeks in Christchurch undertaking training with Edward Wheeler & Co. on wet-plate photography.[2]

In 1872 James Hector appointed him to the Geological Survey of New Zealand.[3] During his geological work McKay took numerous photographs.[2] He invented a telephoto lens and also techniques for taking images of geological collections and fossils.[2]

McKay's greatest achievement was to free New Zealand sciences from the strictures of European-based thinking, developing new theories, of worldwide importance, on block faulting in the evolution of mountain systems.[3] The discipline of neotectonics is largely based upon McKay's observations and theories.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Cooper, Roger. "Alexander McKay". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Nathan, Simon (2018). "Alexander McKay: New Zealand's first scientific photographer". Tuhinga. 29: 35–49 – via Te Papa Collections Online.
  3. 1 2 Cherry Lewis, Simon J. Knell (2009) "The Making of the Geological Society of London", pp350, Geological Society of London. ISBN 1862392773 Retrieved February 2015
  4. ↑ D.G. Bishop (2008) The Real McKay, Otago University Press, ISBN 1877372226 Retrieved February 2015


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