physics

Jon Claerbout

Jon Claerbout is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jon Claerbout rather than just read about it. In short: Jon F. Claerbout (born February 14, 1938) is an American geophysicist and seismologist.

Key takeaways

Jon Claerbout belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jon Claerbout to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jon Claerbout from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jon F. Claerbout (born February 14, 1938) is an American geophysicist and seismologist. He is the Cecil Green Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at Stanford University. Since the later half of the 20th century, he has been a leading researcher and pioneered the use of computers in processing and filtering seismic exploration data, eventually developing the field of time series analysis and seismic interferometry, modelling the propagation of seismic waves.

Career Claerbout obtained a BS in physics in 1960, a MS in geophysics in 1963 and a PhD in geophysics in 1967, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His BS thesis was titled A rubidium vapor magnetometer. He worked with Stephen M. Simpson Jr. for his MS thesis, titled Digital filters and applications to seismic detection and discrimination. The publication of this work made many geophysicists, including those in the oil and gas industry, well aware of Claerbout's potential. However, Claerbout found the sparse availability and low quality of earthquake seismic data frustrating and decided to study atmospheric gravity waves during his PhD. His advisor was Theodore R. Madden and the title of his thesis was Electromagnetic Effects of Atmospheric Gravity Waves. Claerbout is the founder of the Stanford Exploration Project (SEP), the first geophysical research consortium funded by the oil and gas industry. Claerbout has been a doctoral advisor to many of influential geophysicists who joined SEP such as Oz Yilmaz and Biondo Biondi. The term and concept of exploding reflectors in reflection seismology is often attributed to Jon Claerbout. However, Claerbout claims that the term was coined by John Sherwood, a geophysicist from Chevron who introduced him to exploration geophysics. John Sherwood has said that he only used the term to refer to Claerbout's innovative method of seismic migration. He was one of the first scientists to emphasize that computational methods threaten the reproducibility of research unless open access is provided to both the data and the software underlying a publication. Claerbout's books have been among the most read and cited in geophysical research, especially Fundamentals of Geophysical Data Processing and Imaging the Earth's Interior, which have been translated into Chinese and Russian among other languages. He has since made all his books available for free download from his website.

Awards and honors In 1988, Claerbout was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for original and pioneering studies that revolutionized seismic wave analysis and greatly aided the international search for petroleum. He is the youngest ever recipient of the Maurice Ewing Medal of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, having received this award in 1992 for lifetime achievements when he was in his early fifties. Asteroid 156990 Claerbout, discovered by Joseph A. Dellinger at George Observatory in 2003, was named in his honor. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 17 May 2011 (M.P.C. 75105).

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jon Claerbout

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jon Claerbout claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jon Claerbout before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jon Claerbout ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jon Claerbout

In research: Jon Claerbout appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jon Claerbout in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jon Claerbout is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1938 births, American geophysicists, American scientist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jon Claerbout outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jon Claerbout in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jon Claerbout means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jon Claerbout out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jon Claerbout in simple terms?

Jon F. Claerbout (born February 14, 1938) is an American geophysicist and seismologist.

Why does Jon Claerbout matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jon Claerbout?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jon Claerbout.