Daniel Francis Merriam (February 2, 1927 – April 26, 2017) was an American geologist best known for fostering the development of quantitative modeling in geology after the advent of digital computers.
His fascination with the new possibilities offered by computers started ten years later while working with John W. Harbaugh at Stanford University as Visiting Research Scientist.
In the following seven years, he was active organizing colloquia and as editor of the Computer Contributions, who saw 50 publications in the series by pioneers in the new field.
Merriam accepted the position of Chairman of the Department of Geology at Syracuse University in 1971 and moved to the same position at Wichita State University in 1981,[2] coming back to the Kansas Geological Survey in 1991 to retire in 1997,[3] remaining as an Emeritus Scientist.
[7] He received the William Christian Krumbein Medal in 1982 in appreciation for his services to the IAMG and the profession[8] and a festschrift in 1993.