Gerald J. Wasserburg
Encyclopedia
Gerald J. Wasserburg is an American
geologist. He is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology
. He is known for his work in the fields of isotope geochemistry
, cosmochemistry
, meteoritics
and astrophysics
.
After leaving the US army he received the Combat Infantrymans badge, he graduated high school and attended college on the GI bill. Wasserburg completed his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
in 1954, with a thesis on the development of Ar40-K40 dating, done under the sponsorship of Prof. H. C. Urey and Prof M. G. Inghram. He joined the faculty at Caltech in 1955 as Assistant Professor. He became Associate Professor in 1959 and Professor of Geology and Geophysics in 1962. In 1982 he became the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics; he retired in 2001. He, Typhoon Lee and D.A. Papanastassiou discovered the presence of short lived radioactive 26Al in the early solar system and short 107Pd with R. Kelly.
Wasserburg was deeply involved in the Apollo Program with the returned Lunar samples. He was the co-inventor of the Lunatic Spectrometer (the first fully digital, mass spectrometer with computer controlled magnetic field scanning & rapid switching) and founder of the “Lunatic Asylum” research laboratory at Caltech specializing in high precision, high sensitivity isotopic analyses of meteorites, lunar and terrestrial samples. He & his co-workers were major contributors to establishing a chronology for the Moon and proposed the hypothesis of the late heavy bombardment (LHB) of the whole inner solar system at near 4.0 Gy ago (with F. Tera, D. A. Papanastassiou) .
Wasserburg's research led to a better understanding of the origins and history of the solar system and its component bodies and the precursor stellar sources contributing to the solar system; this research established a time scale for the development of the early solar system, including the processes of nucleosynthesis and the formation and evolution of the planets, the Moon and the meteorites. More recently he is investigating models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy.
He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Science & the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
. He won the Arthur L. Day Medal
in 1970, the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
in 1973 and 1978 the Wollaston Medal
in 1985, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1991 and the Bowie medal in 2008. He was co-winner, with Claude Allègre
, of the Crafoord Prize
in Geosciences in 1986. He is the recipient of several honorary degrees.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geologist. He is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. He is known for his work in the fields of isotope geochemistry
Isotope geochemistry
Isotope geochemistry is an aspect of geology based upon study of the relative and absolute concentrations of the elements and their isotopes in the Earth. Variations in the abundance of these isotopes, typically measured with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer or an accelerator mass spectrometer,...
, cosmochemistry
Cosmochemistry
Cosmochemistry or chemical cosmology is the study of the chemical composition of matter in the universe and the processes that led to those compositions. This is done primarily through the study of the chemical composition of meteorites and other physical samples...
, meteoritics
Meteoritics
Meteoritics is a science that deals with meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the origin and history of the solar system. A specialist who studies meteoritics is known as a meteoriticist....
and astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
.
After leaving the US army he received the Combat Infantrymans badge, he graduated high school and attended college on the GI bill. Wasserburg completed his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1954, with a thesis on the development of Ar40-K40 dating, done under the sponsorship of Prof. H. C. Urey and Prof M. G. Inghram. He joined the faculty at Caltech in 1955 as Assistant Professor. He became Associate Professor in 1959 and Professor of Geology and Geophysics in 1962. In 1982 he became the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics; he retired in 2001. He, Typhoon Lee and D.A. Papanastassiou discovered the presence of short lived radioactive 26Al in the early solar system and short 107Pd with R. Kelly.
Wasserburg was deeply involved in the Apollo Program with the returned Lunar samples. He was the co-inventor of the Lunatic Spectrometer (the first fully digital, mass spectrometer with computer controlled magnetic field scanning & rapid switching) and founder of the “Lunatic Asylum” research laboratory at Caltech specializing in high precision, high sensitivity isotopic analyses of meteorites, lunar and terrestrial samples. He & his co-workers were major contributors to establishing a chronology for the Moon and proposed the hypothesis of the late heavy bombardment (LHB) of the whole inner solar system at near 4.0 Gy ago (with F. Tera, D. A. Papanastassiou) .
Wasserburg's research led to a better understanding of the origins and history of the solar system and its component bodies and the precursor stellar sources contributing to the solar system; this research established a time scale for the development of the early solar system, including the processes of nucleosynthesis and the formation and evolution of the planets, the Moon and the meteorites. More recently he is investigating models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy.
He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Science & the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
. He won the Arthur L. Day Medal
Arthur L. Day Medal
The Arthur L. Day Medal is a prize awarded by the Geological Society of America, established in 1948 by Arthur Louis Day for "outstanding distinction in contributing to geologic knowledge through the application of physics and chemistry to the solution of geologic problems"....
in 1970, the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal is an award similar to the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, but awarded to non-government personnel. This is the highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a government employee when the service was performed....
in 1973 and 1978 the Wollaston Medal
Wollaston Medal
The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London.The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831...
in 1985, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...
in 1991 and the Bowie medal in 2008. He was co-winner, with Claude Allègre
Claude Allègre
Claude Allègre is a French politician and scientist.- Scientific work :The main scientific area of Claude Allègre is geochemistry....
, of the Crafoord Prize
Crafoord Prize
The Crafoord Prize is an annual science prize established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, a Swedish industrialist, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord...
in Geosciences in 1986. He is the recipient of several honorary degrees.