John Tuzo Wilson

John Tuzo Wilson

Infobox_Scientist
name = John ('Jock') Tuzo Wilson

|300px
caption = John Tuzo Wilson Medal of Geophysics
birth_date = birth date|1908|10|24
birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario Canada Flagicon|CAN
death_date = death date and age|1993|4|15|1908|10|24
death_place = Toronto, Ontario Canada
residence = Canada
nationality = flagicon|CAN Canadian
field = Geophysics & Geology
work_institution = University of Toronto
alma_mater = University of Toronto University of Cambridge Princeton University
doctoral_advisor = Harry Hammond Hess
doctoral_students = Harold Williams
known_for = Theory of Plate tectonics
prizes = Officer, Order of Canada Companion, Order of Canada Fellow, Royal Society of Canada Fellow, Royal Society of London Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh Legion of Merit Order of the British Empire Ewing Medal, AGU Bucher Medal, AGU Penrose Medal, GSA Wegener Medal, EUG Wollaston Medal, Geological Society Vetlesen Prize, Columbia University Canada Centennial Medal 125th Anniversary Medal (Canada)
religion =
footnotes =

John Tuzo Wilson, Ph.D , CC , OBE , D.Sc , FRS , FRSC , FRSE (October 24, 1908–April 15, 1993) was a Canadian geophysicist and geologist who achieved worldwide acclaim for his contributions to the theory of plate tectonics.

"Plate tectonics" is the idea that the rigid outer layers of the Earth (crust and part of the upper mantle), the lithosphere, are broken up into numerous pieces or "plates" that move independently over the weaker asthenosphere. Wilson maintained that the Hawaiian Islands were created as a tectonic plate, extending across much of the Pacific Ocean, shifted slowly in a northwesterly direction over a fixed hotspot, spawning a long series of volcanoes. He also conceived of the transform fault, a major plate boundary where two plates move past each other horizontally ("e.g.," the San Andreas Fault). His name was given to a young Canadian submarine volcano called the Tuzo Wilson Seamounts, [cite journal
author=Chase RL
title=J. Tuzo Wilson Knolls: Canadian hotspot
doi=10.1038/266344a0
journal=Nature
issue=266
pages=344–346
date=1977-03-24
volume=266
] which is a hotspot volcano at coordinates coord|51.4|N|130.9|W|type:mountain_region:CA [cite web
url = http://www.geody.com/geospot.php?world=terra&ufi=-155885&alc=jtz
title = J. Tuzo Wilson Knolls
publisher = Geody
] . The Wilson cycle of seabed expansion and contraction (also conversely called the Supercontinent cycle) bears his name.

Wilson was born to Scottish immigrants to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He became the first person in Canada to take a university course in geophysicsFact|date=July 2007, graduating from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 1930. He obtained various other related degrees from St. John's College, Cambridge. His academic years culminated in his obtaining a doctorate in geology in 1936 from Princeton University. After completing his studies, Wilson enlisted in the Canadian Army and served in World War II. He retired from the army with the rank of Colonel.

In 1969, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to the rank of Companion of that order in 1974. [Cite web
url = http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1772
title=Order of Canada citation
publisher = Governor General of Canada
] He was awarded the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society of London for 1978. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Royal Society of London. [cite web
url = http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqSearch=RefNo='EC/1968/31'&dsqDb=Catalog
title = checktitle
publisher = Royal Society
work = citation
] [cite web
url = http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/fellowship/obits/obits_alpha/wilson_john.pdf
format=PDF
title = John Tuzo Wilson
publisher = Royal Society of Edinburgh
work = obituary
] He was the Principal of Erindale College at the University of Toronto and was the host of the television series, The Planet of Man.

He also served as the Director General of the Ontario Science Centre from 1974-1985. He and his plate tectonic theory are commemorated on the grounds outside by the Centre by a giant "immovable" spike indicating the amount of continental drift since Wilson's birth.

The eponymous John Tuzo Wilson Medal of the Canadian Geophysical Union recognizes achievements in geophysics.

ee also

*Science and technology in Canada

External links

*cite web
url = http://www.mssu.edu/seg-vm/bio_j__tuzo_wilson.html
title = J Tuzo Wilson
publisher = Society of Exploration Geophysics
work = Virtual Geoscience Center

*cite web
url = http://gsahist.org/gsat/gt01sep24_25.htm
work = Rock Stars
journal = GSA Today
date = September 2001
title = J. Tuzo Wilson

References

Persondata
NAME= Wilson, John Tuzo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Canadian geologist
DATE OF BIRTH= 24 October 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH= Ottawa, Ontario Canada
DATE OF DEATH= 15 April 1993
PLACE OF DEATH= Toronto, Ontario Canada


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  • John Tuzo Wilson — John Tuzo Wilson, CC, OBE, FRS, FRSC, FRSE (* 24. Oktober 1908 in Ottawa, Ontario, Kanada; † 15. April 1993 in Toronto, Ontario, Kanada) war ein kanadischer Geophysiker und Geologe, der sich in der Erforschung von Gletschern und der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Tuzo Wilson — John Tuzo Wilson, (24 octobre 1908 15 avril 1993), est un géophysicien et géologue canadien. Wilson naît de parents d origine écossaise à Ottawa. Il est le premier étudiant en géophysique du Canada au Trinity College de l Université de Toronto où …   Wikipédia en Français

  • John Tuzo Wilson — Nacimiento 24 de octubre de 1908 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Fallecimiento 15 de abril de …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Tuzo Wilson — noun Canadian geophysicist who was a pioneer in the study of plate tectonics (1908 1993) • Syn: ↑Wilson • Instance Hypernyms: ↑geophysicist …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tuzo Wilson — John Tuzo Wilson John Tuzo Wilson, (24 octobre 1908 15 avril 1993) est un géophysicien et géologue canadien. Wilson naît de parents d origine écossaise à Ottawa. Il est le premier étudiant en géophysique du Canada au Trinity College de l… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tuzo Wilson Seamounts — Infobox Seamount Name = Tuzo Wilson Seamounts Depth = Unit m|1410|0 Height = 500m 700m Location map British Columbia| label=Tuzo Wilson Seamounts mark=RedMountain.svg|marksize=18 lat deg=51|lat min=04|lat dir=N lon deg=130|lon min=09|lon dir=W… …   Wikipedia

  • J. Tuzo Wilson — John Tuzo Wilson John Tuzo Wilson, (24 octobre 1908 15 avril 1993) est un géophysicien et géologue canadien. Wilson naît de parents d origine écossaise à Ottawa. Il est le premier étudiant en géophysique du Canada au Trinity College de l… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • J. Tuzo Wilson Medal — The J. Tuzo Wilson Medal is given out annually by the Canadian Geophysical Union to recognize scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of geophysics in Canada. Factors taken into account in the selection process include… …   Wikipedia

  • Wilson , John Tuzo — (1908–1993) Canadian geophysicist Born in Ottawa, Canada, Wilson was educated at the University of Toronto and at Princeton, where he obtained his PhD in 1936. After working for the Canadian Geological Survey (1936–39) and war service, he was… …   Scientists

  • Wilson (Familienname) — Wilson ist ein englischer Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Der Name bedeutet Sohn des Wil. Somit handelt es sich um einen patronymisch gebildeten Namen. Verbreitung 1990 war Wilson in den USA der achthäufigste Familienname.[1] Varianten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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