earth science

Phil Gibbard

Phil Gibbard is a earth science 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 Phil Gibbard rather than just read about it. In short: Philip Leonard Gibbard (born 1949 in Chiswick, London) is a Quaternary geologist and has been Professor of Quaternary Palaeoenvironments in the University of Cambridge, Department of Geography since 2005. A PhD student of Professor Richard Gilbert West in the Subdepartment of Quaternary Research, University of Cambridge (1971–1974), he investigated the diversion of the River Thames from its course through Hertfordsh…

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Philip Leonard Gibbard (born 1949 in Chiswick, London) is a Quaternary geologist and has been Professor of Quaternary Palaeoenvironments in the University of Cambridge, Department of Geography since 2005. A PhD student of Professor Richard Gilbert West in the Subdepartment of Quaternary Research, University of Cambridge (1971–1974), he investigated the diversion of the River Thames from its course through Hertfordshire to its present course through London. Later he established the stratigraphy and palaeogeography of the Thames in the Middle (1985) and Lower Thames Valley (1994). He has since undertaken many collaborative, palaeoenvironmental investigations. This multidisciplinary approach has led to him working throughout Britain, offshore areas, especially the North Sea, English Channel and the formation of the Strait of Dover, and neighbouring countries. For an example of this work, see Britain's island heritage: reconstructing half a million years of history. He spent 2 years in the University of Oulu, Finland (1974-6) and 1 year at the University of Western Ontario, Canada (1976–1977) as a post-doctoral worker before returning to Cambridge as a Post-doctoral Research Associate, and later as a Senior Post-Doctoral Research Associate, and was appointed to the University of Cambridge's staff as an Assistant Director of Research (in 1984). In 1995 he and his research group were transferred to the University's Department of Geography. He was also appointed Docent in the Department of Geology, University of Helsinki, Finland in 1987. Through co-operation with Jürgen Ehlers, his interest in glaciation has led to the publication of seven books. Most recently they were joint co-ordinators of an INQUA Commission on Glaciation workgroup which compiled an atlas of world Quaternary glaciation limits (see below Ehlers & Gibbard, 2004 a, b, c). He is also interested in the application of stratigraphical principles and chairs the International Commission on Stratigraphy Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy. Phil Gibbard was awarded the Geological Society's Lyell Fund prize in April 1999 'for excellence in Quaternary geology'. In 2010 Phil was awarded an honorary doctorate degree (PhD (honoris causa) by the University of Helsinki and a ScD degree in July 2009 by the University of Cambridge. His publications include over 280 papers, 20 books, 8 charts and numerous reports and reviews.

Views Philip disagrees with the majority view that the Pleistocene epoch has ended. He claims, instead, that the Holocene is not an epoch, but actually an age within the Pleistocene. He further disagrees with the proposal of defining the Anthropocene as a new epoch.

References

Notes Gibbard, P.L. 1985 Pleistocene history of the Middle Thames Valley. University Press: Cambridge 155pp. Gibbard, P.L. 1988 The history of the great north-west European rivers during the past three million years. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B318, 559-602. Gibbard, P.L. 1994 The Pleistocene history of the Lower Thames Valley. University Press: Cambridge. 229pp. Ehlers, J., & Gibbard, P.L. (editors) 2004a Extent and chronology of Glaciation. Volume 1: Europe. Elsevier Science: Amsterdam 488pp. Ehlers, J., & Gibbard, P.L. (editors) 2004b Extent and chronology of Glaciation. Volume 2: North America. Elsevier Science: Amsterdam 450pp. *Ehlers, J., & Gibbard, P.L. (editors) 2004c Extent and chronology of Glaciation. Volume 3: South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica. Elsevier Science: Amsterdam 433pp. Gibbard, P. 2007 Europe cut adrift. Nature 448, 259-260. Ehlers, J., Gibbard, P.L. & Hughes, P.D. (editors) 2011 Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology, Volume 15: a closer look. Elsevier Science: Amsterdam

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phil Gibbard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phil Gibbard claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, 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 Phil Gibbard 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 Phil Gibbard 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 Phil Gibbard

In research: Phil Gibbard appears in earth science 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 Phil Gibbard 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: Phil Gibbard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, Academics of the University of Cambridge, British geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phil Gibbard 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 Phil Gibbard in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Phil Gibbard 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 Phil Gibbard out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phil Gibbard in simple terms?

Why does Phil Gibbard matter?

Because it connects several earth science 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 Phil Gibbard?

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 Phil Gibbard.