Helen Leighton Cannon (April 29, 1911 – October 20, 1996) was an American geologist specifying in geobotany and studying the effects of geological chemicals on the environment. She was a woman in science making large contributions to geology and advancements for women in science. She had a long lasting career at the United States Geological Survey in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, soon becoming well known for her research and important discoveries. Cannon, along with two colleagues at USGS, set up and participated in the first organized unit studying chemicals in the real environment. The team concluded that by analyzing plants in a given area they could determine what metals were present in the soil and earth in that same area. In 1952, Cannon published a paper based on the findings and this paved the way for more research in geology and plants, geobotany. This research developed further into an important association with health issues, including cancer, as well as aided the United States to find uranium deposits during the Cold War.[1][2] As an author, she has been largely collected by libraries.[3]
- ^ "Memorial to Helen L. Cannon". Geological Society of America Memorials. 28. November 1997.
- ^ Fernlund, Kevin J. (1994). "Mining the Atom: The Cold War Comes to the Colorado Plateau". New Mexico Historical Review; Albuquerque. 69: 345.
- ^ "Cannon, Helen L." worldcat.org. Retrieved November 6, 2016.