Frank H. Brown papers
name: label: Creator
content: Brown, Frank
label: Collaborator
content: Leakey, Richard E.
label: Collaborator
content: Howell, F. Clark
place: label: Place
content: Omo River Valley (Ethiopia and Kenya)
label: Place
content: Koobi Fora Site (Kenya)
label: Place
content: East Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Archaeological geology
label: Topic
content: Fossil hominids
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Recieved from the University of Utah.
creator: label: Creator
content: Brown, Frank
label: Collaborator
content: Leakey, Richard E.
label: Collaborator
content: Howell, F. Clark
culture: label: Culture
content: Turkana
setName: label: See more items in
content: Frank H. Brown papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: Frank H. Brown was a key figure in the geologic study of early hominids. He conducted extensive field work in the Omo River Valley and Turkana Basin areas of East Africa. This collection mainly consists of materials related to the collection and analysis of Brown's research data.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Geologist Francis (Frank) H. Brown is known for his key role the study of human evolution through his work in East Africa dating early hominid species. Born in 1943 in Willits, California, Brown attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor's in Geology in 1965 and later his PhD in 1971. He accepted a faculty position at the University of Utah in 1971 and in 1980 became a full professor. 

Frank Brown was first sent to East Africa by anthropologist Clark Howell in 1966 to study sediment chronology in the southern Omo Valley, Ethiopia, where Howell had planned to search for early hominin remains. Brown went on to conduct extensive fieldwork in the Omo Valley and Turkana Basin area, mapping and dating volcanic ash and sediment layers which allowed anthropologists to date hominid fossils found there. Brown began working closely with paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey in 1980, studying the geology of the Koobi Fora area of northeast Lake Turkana. He would continue to collaborate with Richard and his wife, Maeve Leakey, throughout his career. Brown also worked closely with geochemists Ian McDougall and Thure Cerling on documenting ash sediment chronology. In 1984, Brown contributed to the dating of the Turkana Boy skeleton, the most complete early hominin skeleton ever found. Through his extensive fieldwork, Brown learned multiple East African languages including Amharic, Daasanach, Kikuyu, Swahili, and Turkana. Additionally, Brown was a member of a U.S. scientific delegation which worked towards normalizing relations with China.

Frank Brown was the chair of the department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah from 1988 to 1991. From 1991 to 2016, Brown served as the dean of the University of Utah's College of Mines and Earth Sciences. Brown was an active member of The Leakey Foundation and was co-chair of their Scientific Executive Committee. In 2001, Brown received the University of Utah's highest award, the Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence. 

Frank H. Brown passed away at the age of 73 on September 30, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 54 Linear feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1898-2017
label: Date
content: bulk 1966-2014
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.2024-03
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged into 7 series: 1) Field notes, 1966-2017, undated; 2) Research data and reports, 1966-2013, undated; 3) Photographs, 1965-2011, undated; 4) Publications and manuscripts, 1967-2013, undated; 5) Correspondence, 1962-2014, undated; 6) Professional and teaching materials, 1957-2011, undated; and 7) Maps and stratigraphic sections, 1898-1998, undated.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Materials in the Frank H. Brown papers were received by the NAA in boxes arranged by their original location in Brown's office and were already organized into titled folders. The collection was rehoused into acid free boxes and folders. Photographs, slides, and negatives were rehoused in acid free envelopes or archival sleeves. Rolled map materials were kept rolled with their original tags. Original folder titles were retained; titles expanded or created by the archivist are denoted by brackets. Titles labeled by Brown with "FHB" refer to his initials. The arrangements of and within series were created by the archivist. 

Processed by Lea Sellon, March 2025
bibliography: label: Selected Bibliography
content: 1988. with J. Harris and M. Leakey "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Pliocene and Pleistocene Localities West of Lake Turkana, Kenya"  -- Contributions in Science --  Volume 399, (1988): 1-128. 

2001. with M. Leakey, F. Spoor, and P. Gathogo "New Hominin Genus from Eastern Africa Shows Diverse Middle Pliocene Lineages"  -- Nature --  Volume 410, No. 6827, (2001): 433-440. 

2005. with I. McDougall and J. Fleagle "Stratigraphic Placement and Age of Modern Humans from Kibish, Ethiopia"  -- Nature --  Volume 433, No. 7027, (2005): 733-736. 

2006. with I. McDougall "Precise 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology for the Upper Koobi Fora Formation, Turkana Basin, Northern Kenya"  -- Journal of the Geological Society --  Volume 163, No. 1, (2006): 205-220. 

2007. with F. Spoor, M. Leakey, and P. Gathogo "Implications of New Early Homo Fossils from Inert, East of Lake Turkana, Kenya"  -- Nature --  Volume 448, No. 7154, (2007): 688-691.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Frank H. Brown papers include fieldnotes, journals, correspondence, computer analyses, raw and processed data, manuscript material, research articles, reports, teaching material, maps, stratigraphic sections, photographs, slides, and negatives. These materials document Brown's fieldwork and research in East Africa studying geology in relation to the dating of early hominids.

This collection contains a large amount of raw and processed geological sample data that Brown collected in East Africa throughout his career. Much of the raw numerical data is found in his field journals. His processed data materials are usually labeled by location and the dating method he used such as paleomagnetism. Additionally, there are a vast number of aerial photographs in this collection that Brown had commissioned to record the landscape of his research sites, particularly the Kibish Formation, Koobi Fora, and the Turkana Basin. These materials are largely unmarked but include photograph indexes with corresponding site information. Brown also created and collected many general and historical maps of East Africa and maps of his specific research sites. Also included are many stratigraphic sections Brown created with the data he collected at these sites.

Brown's correspondence reflects his collaboration with a large number of researchers throughout his career in his fieldwork and publications. Of particular note is his correspondence with close colleagues Richard and Meave Leakey. 

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.