physics

List of geophysicists

List of geophysicists 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 List of geophysicists rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of geophysicists, people who made notable contributions to geophysics, whether or not geophysics was their primary field. These include historical figures who laid the foundations for the field of geophysics.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

This is a list of geophysicists, people who made notable contributions to geophysics, whether or not geophysics was their primary field. These include historical figures who laid the foundations for the field of geophysics. More recently, some of the top awards for geophysicists are the Vetlesen Prize (intended to be the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for geology or geophysics); the William Bowie Medal (the top award of the American Geophysical Union); the Maurice Ewing Medal (the top award of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists); and the Crafoord Prize for geosciences. Some geophysicists have also won more general prizes such as the Nobel Prize and the Kyoto Prize.

A Leason Adams (American, 1887–1969) – high pressure mineral physics Thomas J Ahrens (American, 1936–2010) – experimental methods for modeling hypervelocity impacts and materials in the Earth's core and mantle Hannes Alfvén (Swedish, 1908–1995) – Alfvén waves, magnetohydrodynamics of magnetosphere; Nobel Prize in Physics Giuseppina Aliverti (Italian, 1894–1982) – geophysicist remembered for developing the Aliverti-Lovera method of measuring the radioactivity of water Keiiti Aki (Japanese-American, 1930–2005) – seismology; William Bowie Medal Claude Allègre (French, 1937– ) Crafoord Prize Don L. Anderson (American, 1933–2014) – seismology and Earth's interior (including the Preliminary reference Earth model); Crafoord Prize Nigel Anstey (British, 1927– ) – exploration geophysicist; Maurice Ewing Medal (SEG) Tanya Atwater (American, 1942– ) – plate tectonic history of North America

George Edward Backus (American, 1930– ) – geophysical mathematician, development of geophysical inverse methods; contributions to dynamo theory Milo Backus (American, 1932–2018) – exploration geophysicist; practical 3D exploration; Maurice Ewing Medal (SEG) Peter Barlow (English, 1776–1862) – experimental and observational studies of terrestrial magnetism, Copley Medal Anthony R. Barringer (Canadian/American, 1925–2009) – developed the INPUT airborne electromagnetic system for detecting ores; Maurice Ewing Medal (SEG) Julius Bartels (German, 1899–1964) – contributed to physics of the Sun and Moon; geomagnetism, meteorology and the physics of the ionosphere Louis Bauer (American, 1865–1932) – mapped the Earth's magnetic field Hugo Benioff (American, 1899–1968) – discovered link between deep earthquakes and subduction zones Lloyd Berkner (American, 1905–1967) – studied the ionosphere Henry Bryant Bigelow (American, 1879–1967) – awarded the William Bowie Medal Francis Birch (American, 1903–1992) – developed theoretical and experimental models for the Earth's interior; Vetlesen Prize Kristian Birkeland (Norwegian, 1867–1917) – first realized that energetic electrons cause the aurora; nominated 7 times for Nobel Prize Abu Rayhan Biruni (Persian, 973–1048) – made accurate measure of circumference of Earth and other contributions to geodesy Jacob Bjerknes (Norwegian-American, 1897–1975) – awarded the William Bowie Medal Patrick Blackett (English, 1897–1974) – paleomagnetism, continental drift, Nobel Prize Martin Bott (British, 1926–2018) – magnetic anomalies, gravity anomalies Pierre Bouguer (French, 1698–1758) – geodesy; the Bouguer gravity anomaly William Bowie (American, 1872–1940) – geodesy and isostasy Wallace Smith Broecker (American, 1931–2019) – climate, ocean circulation; Crafoord Prize, Vetlesen Prize Bernard Brunhes (French, 1867–1910) – paleomagnetism; discovered the first geomagnetic reversal Walter Hermann Bucher (German-American, 1888–1965) – awarded the William Bowie Medal Edward Bullard (British, 1907–1980) – developed theory of geodynamo, pioneered use of seismology to study the sea floor, and used seafloor bathymetry to test continental drift Keith Edward Bullen (New Zealand-born, 1906–1976) – seismological interpretation of the deep structure of the Earth's mantle and core Victor Robertovich Bursian (Russian, 1886–1945) – pioneer in theory of Electrical resistivity tomography

Henry Cavendish (British, 1731–1810) – made first estimate of the mass of the Earth Anny Cazenave (French, 1944– ) – geodesy and satellite altimetry; awarded William Bowie Medal Vlastislav Cervený (Czech) – exploration geophysicist; seismic ray theory; Maurice Ewing Medal (SEG) Sydney Chapman (British, 1888–1970) – predicted magnetosphere; developed theories for effect of solar wind on geomagnetic storms and aurorae Jule Gregory Charney (American, 1917–1981) – dynamical meteorology; awarded William Bowie Medal Jon Claerbout (American, 1937– ) – exploration geophysics seismic data processing and imaging; Maurice Ewing Medal (SEG) Alexis Clairaut (French, 1713–1765) – proved Clairaut's theorem and calculated the ellipticity of the Earth William Compston (Australian, 1931– ) – developed the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro Probe for isotopic analyses of geological samples Vincent Courtillot (French, 1948– ) – paleomagnetist; promoted theory that mass extinctions are caused by massive volcanic episodes Thomas Cowling (English, 1906–1990) – solar magnetic field, dynamo theory Allan V. Cox (American, 1926–1987) – created a timeline for geomagnetic reversals and was a pioneer in plate tectonics; Vetlesen Prize Albert P. Crary (American, 1911–1987) – Arctic and Antarctic exploration, seismology

Reginald Aldworth Daly (Canadian, 1871–1957) – awarded the William Bowie Medal George Howard Darwin (British, 1845–1912) – analyzed tides and tidal friction; first to develop mathematical theory for evolution of the Sun–Earth–Moon system Arthur Louis Day (American, 1869–1960) – mineral physics and volcanology Everette Lee DeGolyer (American, 1886–1956) – exploration geophysics in the petroleum industry Robert S. Dietz (American, 1914–1995) – proposed (and named) – theory of seafloor spreading; discovered several impact craters including Sudbury Basin Hewitt Dix (American, 1905–1987) – exploration geophysics; creator of the Dix equation for reflection velocity, recipient of the Maurice Ewing Medal Richard Doell (American, 1923–2008) – created a timeline for geomagnetic reversals and was a pioneer in plate tectonics; Vetlesen Prize James Dooge (Irish, 1922–2010) – hydrology Erich von Drygalski (German, 1865–1949) – polar explorer and geophysicist Adam Dziewonski (Polish/American, 1936–2016) – large-scale structure of Earth's interior and nature of earthquakes; Crafoord Prize

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of geophysicists

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of geophysicists 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 List of geophysicists 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 List of geophysicists 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 List of geophysicists

In research: List of geophysicists 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 List of geophysicists 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: List of geophysicists is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geodesy-related lists, Geophysicists, Geophysics lists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of geophysicists 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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Frequently asked questions

What is List of geophysicists in simple terms?

Why does List of geophysicists 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 List of geophysicists?

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.

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It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of geophysicists.