Leon Knopoff was a geophysicist and musicologist. He received his education at Caltech, graduating in 1949 with a PhD in physics, and after holding several academic positions, moved to UCLA. He has done fundamental work in the field of theoretical seismology

Seismology

Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...

, for which he was honoured in 1979 by the award of 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...

. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

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