earth science

Sigurður Þórarinsson

Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson rather than just read about it. In short: Sigurdur Thorarinsson (Icelandic: Sigurður Þórarinsson) (8 January 1912 – 8 February 1983) was an Icelandic geologist, volcanologist, glaciologist, professor and lyricist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of tephrochronology, and he made significant contributions in many areas of geology, especially volcanology and glaciology, both in Iceland and abroad.

Key takeaways

Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sigurður Þórarinsson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sigurdur Thorarinsson (Icelandic: Sigurður Þórarinsson) (8 January 1912 – 8 February 1983) was an Icelandic geologist, volcanologist, glaciologist, professor and lyricist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of tephrochronology, and he made significant contributions in many areas of geology, especially volcanology and glaciology, both in Iceland and abroad.

Biography Sigurður Þórarinsson was born in Vopnafjörður in northeastern Iceland in 1912. He received his Ph.D. from Stockholm University College in 1944 and began a long and distinguished academic career as professor of geography at the University of Iceland. According to his obituary in The Geographical Journal, "He was something of a polymath who contrived to take geology, geomorphology, glaciology, climatology, and archaeology in his stride." He died suddenly of a heart attack in Reykjavík in 1983. Subsequently, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) decided to name its highest award the Thorarinsson Medal in his honor. As usual outside Iceland, the name of the prize misunderstands Icelandic naming conventions, because Þórarinsson is a patronymic not a surname, and in Iceland he would have properly been referred to by his given first name, Sigurður. Eldur er í Norðri is a collection of papers, published by his colleague when Sigurður turned 70 years old. In 1961, he was made a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. He was the first to receive the award of Steno Medal in 1969 by the Geological Society of Denmark for his work with volcanology and tephrochronology. Sigurdur Thorarinsson is the author of the lyrics to many well-known Icelandic songs, such as Þórsmerkurljóð (María María), Vorkvöld í Reykjavík and Að lífið sé skjálfandi.

Bibliography

Books and Theses Thorarinsson, Sigurdur (1944). Tefrokronologiska studier på Island : Þjórsárdalur och dess förödelse. Thesis (doctoral)--Stockholms Högskola. pp. 217 pp. Thorarinsson, Sigurdur (1970). Hekla: A Notorious Volcano. Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík. OCLC 759118217. Nawrath, Alfred; Sigurdur Thorarinsson; Halldór Laxness (1959). Iceland: Impressions of a Heroic Landscape. Kümmerly & Frey, Berne. OCLC 869169300. Sigurdur Thorarinsson. Surtsey, the new island in the North Atlantic. New York: Viking Press, 1967, 47 pgs text and 53 pgs photographs.

Selected Significant Articles Thorarinsson, Sigurdur; T. Einarsson; G. Kjartansson (1959). "On the Geology and Geomorphology of Iceland". Geografiska Annaler. 41 (2–3): 135–169. doi:10.1080/20014422.1959.11904385. JSTOR 4626801.

References Anon. (1983). "Obituary: Sigurdur Thorarinsson, 1912-1983". The Geographical Journal. 149 (3): 405–406. Björnsson, Helgi (1983). "Obituary: Sigurdur Thorarinsson, 1912-1983" (PDF). Journal of Glaciology. 29 (103): 521–523. Bibcode:1983JGlac..29..521B. doi:10.1017/S0022143000030458. Steinthorsson, Sigurdur (1985). "Memorial to Sigurdur Thorarinsson, 1912-1983". Geological Society of America Memorials. XV: 1–6.

External links IAVCEI.org 'ETT OCH ANNAT OM TEFROKRONOLOGI' -SIGURDUR THORARINSSON

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sigurður Þórarinsson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson

In research: Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson 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: Sigurður Þórarinsson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1912 births, 1983 deaths, 20th-century Icelandic scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Sigurður Þórarinsson in simple terms?

Why does Sigurður Þórarinsson 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 Sigurður Þórarinsson?

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 Sigurður Þórarinsson.