Dr.
W. Jason Morgan
(
–
)
1935
2023
Harvard University; Princeton University
;
Wayland, MA
Geophysicist; Educator
Area
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Specialty
Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Earth Sciences
Elected
2011
First to propose that Earth's surface is made up of a number of rigid crustal blocks, establishing the kinematic framework for the paradigm of plate tectonics, which revolutionized the study of Earth and its history. First to recognize the presence and important implications of the mid-plate volcanic hotspots that create island chains such as Hawaii. Rises, Trenches, Great Faults, and Crustal Blocks, Journal of Geophysical Research (1968) was called one of the major milestones of U.S. science in the 20th century.
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