[1] After leaving Cambridge, he took up an apprenticeship with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, but left after an altercation, and eventually made his way back to England on a cattle boat.
[2] During this time, Fearnsides worked extensively on the Lower Palaeozoic rocks of Wales, northern England and Scandinavia, publishing papers with John E Marr, Gertrude Elles and Bernard Smith.
In Sheffield, Fearnsides extended his work on metal alloys, and metallography, and recognised the applications of these approaches to the study of metamorphic rocks, and did much to demonstrate the value of geology to society.
[4] In addition to his academic publications, Fearnsides published a popular Pelican book with Oliver Bulman in 1944, 'Geology in the service of man'; this went through several reprints and revised editions.
Elizabeth served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in North Africa and Italy, and died in a road traffic accident near Genoa in 1945.