A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in Marine SciencePast Recipient, Xavier LePichon(1987) |
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Xavier LePichon, tenth
recipient of the A.G. HUNTSMAN Award, is
recognized as one of the leaders of the
recent revolution in Earth Sciences. His
formulation of the principles of Plate
Tectonics represented a major advance
towards the acceptance of this new
paradigm of science. Using his great
analytical skills and expertise in the
application of computers, he exploited
the vast treasury of data at Lamont
Geological Observatory to produce the
first world models of plate motions.
These models enabled him to demonstrate
that a half a dozen major plates could
account for most of the Continental drift
in the last 100 million years. In a
series of landmark papers in the late
1960's, LePichon and colleagues from
Lamont showed that sea floor spreading
occurred in all the oceans thus providing
irrefutable confirmation of the
Continental Drift Hypothesis. Returning
to France, he took charge of the National
Program in Marine Geophysics in 1969. His
energy, drive and enthusiasm for a
rigorous approach to solving the puzzle
of the history and construction of the
Earth's crust inspired a new interest in
sea floor geology in his native country
and in other countries in Europe. The
publication of his book Plate Tectonics
in 1973 was a landmark event in the
development of new ideas. Appreciating
the need for detailed studies of key
areas of the ocean floor, he led the
French participation in project FAMOUS
which investigated a one-degree segment
of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 37deg
North. Besides numerous scientific
contributions, this research resulted in
the publication of his second book, which
won a number of literary prizes. As an
international scientist, his work is
characterized by a cooperative approach
to solving problems in Global Tectonics
in the Mediterranean Region, Labrador
Sea, Japan Trench and Black Sea. An
energetic participant in deep-sea
expeditions, a prolific writer, and a
dedicated teacher, LePichon is in the
vanguard of research concerning the
fundamental problems of the Earth. 