Paul Tapponnier
Encyclopedia
Paul Tapponnier was born on January 6, 1947 in Annecy, France. He became an engineer from the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Paris
in 1970. He started his career at the Universite du Languedoc, in Montpellier, and trained as a research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
from 1972 to 1975. He received his Ph.D. in 1978 in France. He was a Researcher at the Tectonics Department at the Institut de Physique du Globe, in Paris, and has been distinguished Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
, Caltech, Pasadena since 1985. He was also a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology
in 2000. Since late 2009, he is senior tectonics group leader at the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University
, Singapore.
He received the Médaille d'Argent du CNRS (1984), the Medaille Alfred Wegener
de l'Union européenne des géosciences (1985), the Grand Prix Scientifique de la Ville de Paris (1990), the Best Paper Award (1994) and an Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society of America
(1994), the Lyell Medal
of the Geological Society (London) (2001). He was made Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (1991), Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
(1994). He is a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences
(United States) (2005), and is a member of the French Academie des Sciences. He is one of the Highly Cited researchers referenced by Thomson-ISI
.
In the 1970s, Paul Tapponnier was one of the first to understand the huge potential of satellite imagery (Landsat) for looking at active large-scale tectonics
. He has exploited that technique with rare brilliance ever since. In a series of papers written with Peter Molnar between 1975 and 1981,,,, he transformed our understanding of Asia’s tectonics. Subsequent fieldwork, only now possible in many of these countries, has confirmed the accuracy of his conclusions from satellite images. His work has set a benchmark of quality and rigour that few have been able to match. Paul Tapponnier has trained a group of graduate students who are now major figures in their own right, and has been responsible for establishing a school of tectonic geology in France that is admired worldwide.
In the early days of this enterprise, he was inspired by two leading figures. One, Maurice Mattauer, was probably the first structural geologist to fully embrace global tectonics. The other, Peter Molnar at MIT, taught him the value of focusing on active faulting to gain insight into the kinematics and mechanics of deformation. The message was clear - look from the big picture down to the outcrop, and examine areas where things are happening fast, today. The 2000 miles-wide region where India collides with Asia was the place. Where else could one hope to unravel continental tectonics at a comparable scale? Satellite images, whose resolution has increased one hundredfold in the past 25 years, helped meet this challenge. Between 1975 and 1981, he proposed, along with Peter Molnar, that most of today's deformation observed in Eastern Asia, where the greatest continental fault system occurs (20 earthquakes with a magnitude >8 since 1892), is the result of the penetration of India, at a speed of more the 2 inches per year, inside the Asian continent. India, modeled as a rigid block, has made it way over more than 1500 miles, northward, inside Asia, causing the extrusion of the Indochinese peninsula and Southeast Asia. This extrusion also leads to the formation of two rifts, the most famous being that of Lake Baikal
. This became the first coherent and global explanation for a great variety of deformations and structures observed in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions.
Paul Tapponnier also studied overlap rifts, classic examples of bookshelf faulting as in the Afar region of Africa. Lately, while keeping his focus on the Red River fault system and Tibet, Paul Tapponnier is making important contributions to the study of the Yammouneh fault in Lebanon. In combination with his studies in Asia, this work confirms that propagation of new faults over thousands of miles is an essential element of continental tectonics. Paul Tapponnier has put the French school of tectonics at the forefront of international research.
Paul Tapponnier is married to acclaimed photographer Kevin Kling.
École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris
The École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris was created in 1783 by King Louis XVI in order to train intelligent directors of mines. It is one of the most prominent French engineering schoolsThe École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (also known as Mines ParisTech, École des Mines de...
in 1970. He started his career at the Universite du Languedoc, in Montpellier, and trained as a research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
from 1972 to 1975. He received his Ph.D. in 1978 in France. He was a Researcher at the Tectonics Department at the Institut de Physique du Globe, in Paris, and has been distinguished Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
, Caltech, Pasadena since 1985. He was also a visiting professor 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...
in 2000. Since late 2009, he is senior tectonics group leader at the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
, Singapore.
He received the Médaille d'Argent du CNRS (1984), the Medaille Alfred Wegener
Alfred Wegener
Alfred Lothar Wegener was a German scientist, geophysicist, and meteorologist.He is most notable for his theory of continental drift , proposed in 1912, which hypothesized that the continents were slowly drifting around the Earth...
de l'Union européenne des géosciences (1985), the Grand Prix Scientifique de la Ville de Paris (1990), the Best Paper Award (1994) and an Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose...
(1994), the Lyell Medal
Lyell Medal
The Lyell Medal is a prestigious annual scientific medal given by the Geological Society of London, equal in status to the Murchison Medal, awarded on the basis of research to an Earth Scientist of exceptional quality...
of the Geological Society (London) (2001). He was made Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (1991), Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
(1994). He is a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(United States) (2005), and is a member of the French Academie des Sciences. He is one of the Highly Cited researchers referenced by Thomson-ISI
Institute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
.
In the 1970s, Paul Tapponnier was one of the first to understand the huge potential of satellite imagery (Landsat) for looking at active large-scale tectonics
Tectonics
Tectonics is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the lithosphere of the Earth and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures.Tectonics is concerned with the orogenies and tectonic development of...
. He has exploited that technique with rare brilliance ever since. In a series of papers written with Peter Molnar between 1975 and 1981,,,, he transformed our understanding of Asia’s tectonics. Subsequent fieldwork, only now possible in many of these countries, has confirmed the accuracy of his conclusions from satellite images. His work has set a benchmark of quality and rigour that few have been able to match. Paul Tapponnier has trained a group of graduate students who are now major figures in their own right, and has been responsible for establishing a school of tectonic geology in France that is admired worldwide.
In the early days of this enterprise, he was inspired by two leading figures. One, Maurice Mattauer, was probably the first structural geologist to fully embrace global tectonics. The other, Peter Molnar at MIT, taught him the value of focusing on active faulting to gain insight into the kinematics and mechanics of deformation. The message was clear - look from the big picture down to the outcrop, and examine areas where things are happening fast, today. The 2000 miles-wide region where India collides with Asia was the place. Where else could one hope to unravel continental tectonics at a comparable scale? Satellite images, whose resolution has increased one hundredfold in the past 25 years, helped meet this challenge. Between 1975 and 1981, he proposed, along with Peter Molnar, that most of today's deformation observed in Eastern Asia, where the greatest continental fault system occurs (20 earthquakes with a magnitude >8 since 1892), is the result of the penetration of India, at a speed of more the 2 inches per year, inside the Asian continent. India, modeled as a rigid block, has made it way over more than 1500 miles, northward, inside Asia, causing the extrusion of the Indochinese peninsula and Southeast Asia. This extrusion also leads to the formation of two rifts, the most famous being that of Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
. This became the first coherent and global explanation for a great variety of deformations and structures observed in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions.
Paul Tapponnier also studied overlap rifts, classic examples of bookshelf faulting as in the Afar region of Africa. Lately, while keeping his focus on the Red River fault system and Tibet, Paul Tapponnier is making important contributions to the study of the Yammouneh fault in Lebanon. In combination with his studies in Asia, this work confirms that propagation of new faults over thousands of miles is an essential element of continental tectonics. Paul Tapponnier has put the French school of tectonics at the forefront of international research.
Paul Tapponnier is married to acclaimed photographer Kevin Kling.