Mary C. Rabbitt

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: refer to subject as Rabbitt, as per WP:SURNAME. Please help improve this article if you can. (October 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Mary Collins Rabbitt (January 25, 1915 – August 8, 2002), born Mary Priscilla Collins, was an American geophysicist, administrator, and historian for the United States Geological Survey (USGS).^[1] Her interest in seismology led her to working alongside well-known seismologist, Perry Byerly. Later on, she worked for Kirtley Mather, and eventually, as an assistant to James Balsley. As well as her contributions to the USGS,^[1] Rabbit revitalized the editorial process of scientific publications. In Minerals, Lands, and Geology for the Common Defense and General Welfare Volume 2, 1879-1904, Rabbit outlines how the development of public land, mapping policies, and the development of mineral resources in the United States shaped the maturation of the field of geology.^[2] Volume 3 describes the USGS' interest in reviewing basic research from the 1904 conservation movement for strategic mineral studies. She describes the struggles researchers faced during the intervention of the Federal government for conservation and public land classification, and how World War 1's subsequent economic crash in 1929 increased strain on the studies. Rabbit also conveys how the changing economies of coal and agriculture, as well as the need to study water and minerals, put excess strain on the Survey.^[3]