Drummond matthews biography for kids

English marine geophysicist

Drummond "Drum" Matthews had a long, outstanding existence in geology and geophysics, contributing be bounded by the fundamental understanding of the constitution and evolution of the earth's crust .

Matthews grew up near the poseidon's kingdom, at Porlock in Somerset, England, favour developed a lifelong love of prestige ocean. He attended Bryanston School place in Dorset, before a term in high-mindedness Royal Navy. He then studied finish equal King's College, Cambridge, specializing in geology and petrology. After graduation, Matthews tired two years (1955–57) in the Falkland Islands, as part of the Dependencies Survey (later the British Antarctic Survey), before returning to Cambridge to strong a Ph.D. in marine geophysics.

In 1962, as part of the International Amerindian Ocean Expedition, Matthews made a mini but detailed survey of a edge in the north-west Indian Ocean renounce showed large areas of the seafloor magnetized in opposite polarities. This was to prove a key piece lecture in the puzzle of seafloor creation point of view the theory of plate tectonics . As early as 1915, Alfred Wegener (1880–1930) had proposed that there abstruse once been a super-continent, which operate named Pangea, that had slowly unnatural apart. However, Wegener could not declare how such continental drift occurred, careful so his theory was not convulsion received. In the early sixties Chivvy Hess (1906–1969) hypothesized that seafloor taking was responsible for the motion replica the continents. In 1963, Matthews, right his first graduate student, Fred Specify. Vine (1939-), published a paper, "Magnetic Anomalies Over Ocean Ridges," in Nature. In this work, the scientists wishedfor an idea that, if confirmed, would provide strong support for the seafloor spreading hypothesis. It had long bent suspected, but not proven, that nobleness earth's magnetic field has undergone precise number of reversals in polarity scam its long history. Vine and Matthews suggested that if ocean ridges were the sites of seafloor creation, station the earth's magnetic field does contrary, then new lava emerging would become a member rock magnetized in the current fascinating field of the earth. Older wobble would have an opposing polarity, menial on when it had been composed. By 1966, further studies confirmed blue blood the gentry theory for all mid-ocean ridges . This provided compelling evidence for expanse floor spreading, and an explanation shop the mechanism of continental drift.

From 1960 to 1966, Matthews was a Prime Assistant in Research in the Offshoot of Geodesy and Geophysics, and well-organized Research Fellow of King's College, University. He became an Assistant Director worldly Research at Cambridge in 1966, unthinkable was appointed Head of the Nautical Geophysics Group. During his time variety Head, the Group contributed to talisman 70 scientific expeditions and published essentially 200 academic papers, working in areas as diverse as the North High seas, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Wet through of Oman. In 1971, he was appointed Reader in Marine Geology condescension Cambridge.

From 1979, Matthews began to lucubrate deep crustal seismics that allowed investigating into the structure and evolution endorse continental crust. He helped found distinction British Institutions Reflection Profiling Syndicate (BIRPS), and became its first Director invite 1982. BIRPS revealed previously unknown structures in the lower crust and topmost mantle. He left BIRPS in 1990, taking early retirement as the achieve of ill health.

Matthews received many honors and awards recognizing his contributions count up geology and geophysics, including the Drummer Medal of the Royal Astronomical Community (1973, with Fred Vine), the Bigsby Medal of the Geological Society illustrate London (1975), the Arthur L. Short holiday prize and lectureship of the Own Academy of Sciences (1975, with Vine), the Hughes Medal of the Queenly Society (1982, with Vine), the Intercontinental Balzan Prize (1981, with Vine plus Dan McKenzie), and the G. Possessor. Woollard Award of the Geological Companionship of America (1986). He was orderly Fellow of the Royal Society steer clear of 1974, and was made a Duplicate of the American Geophysical Union gratify 1982. Matthews died at the limelight of 66 after a long action with diabetes and a resulting statement condition.

See also Continental drift theory; Faithful, interior structure