John Tuzo Wilson died on April 15, 1993 in Toronto, Ontario. John Tuzo Wilson had two major contributions to the solidification of the theory of plate tectonics, the introduction of hotspots, and the recognition of transform boundaries.
What did John Tuzo Wilson contribute to plate tectonics?
Specific contributions to plate tectonic theory John Tuzo Wilson had two major contributions to the solidification of the theory of plate tectonics, the introduction of hotspots, and the recognition of transform boundaries.
What did John Tuzo Wilson do?
John Tuzo Wilson, CC, OBE, 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 .
What did John Tuzo Wilson believe about the geology of Hawaii?
John Tuzo Wilson. Wilson maintained that the Hawaiian Islands were created as a tectonic plate (extending across much of the Pacific Ocean) shifted to the northwest 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.,...
Is John Tuzo Wilson dead or still alive?
John Tuzo Wilson died on April 15, 1993 in Toronto, Ontario. John Tuzo Wilson had two major contributions to the solidification of the theory of plate tectonics, the introduction of hotspots, and the recognition of transform boundaries.
See more
What did John Tuzo do?
John Tuzo Wilson (1908–1993) was one of the greatest Canadian scientists of the 20th century. His contributions to Earth Sciences, leading the formulation of the theory of plate tectonics, have revolutionized our understanding of how the planet Earth works and evolved over the past 4 billion years.
Why was J Tuzo Wilson's theory of the Earth accepted?
Specific contributions to plate tectonic theory The lack of explanation was addressed by Wilson in 1963 with his introduction of hotspots. He accepted the idea of sea floor spreading by noticing the increase in age of island rocks with increased distance from the Mid-Ocean Ridge.
What did Tuzo Wilson study?
(Tuzo) Wilson, John Tuzo Wilson received his first Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and geology from the University of Toronto in 1930 and his second shortly thereafter from Cambridge University. He earned his doctorate in geology from Princeton University in 1936.
Which Canadian geophysicist firstly used the term plate in his theory?
John Tuzo Wilson CC OBE FRSJohn Tuzo Wilson CC OBE FRS FRSE FRSC (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.
What is Tuzo Wilson known for?
Tuzo Wilson (1908-1993) made major contributions to the development of the plate-tectonics theory in the 1960s and 1970s. He remained a dominant force in the Canadian scientific scene until his death.
Who discovered plate tectonics?
meteorologist Alfred WegenerGerman meteorologist Alfred Wegener is often credited as the first to develop a theory of plate tectonics, in the form of continental drift.
Who discovered divergent boundaries?
Tuzo WilsonTuzo Wilson, who proposed that these large faults or fracture zones connect two spreading centers (divergent plate boundaries) or, less commonly, trenches (convergent plate boundaries).
Which statement describes John Tuzo Wilson's contribution to the theory of plate tectonics?
Which statement describes John Tuzo Wilson's contribution to the theory of plate tectonics? He proposed that plates carry parts of the seafloor.
What is the Wilson cycle in geology?
The cyclical opening and closing of ocean basins caused by movement of the Earth's plates. The Wilson cycle begins with a rising plume of magma and the thinning of the overlying crust.
What is the meaning of TUZO?
[ n ] an announcer who reads sports news or describes sporting events.
How does each plate get its name?
The Earth is always on the move due to the motion of the tectonic plates. Seven of the major plates make up most of the seven continents and the Pacific Ocean. They are named after nearby landmasses, oceans, or regions.
What is the theory of plate tectonics?
Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called “plates,” that glide over Earth's mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth's core. Earth's solid outer layer, which includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, is called the lithosphere.
Is there any evidence for the hotspot theory?
Scientists are only able to identify hotspots because of their relatively fixed locations beneath the tectonic plates, which produce tracks of surface volcanism spanning millions of years. Learn more: “Hotspots”: Mantle thermal plumes. The long trail of the Hawaiian hotspot.
Which statement describes John Tuzo Wilson's contribution to the theory of plate tectonics?
Which statement describes John Tuzo Wilson's contribution to the theory of plate tectonics? He proposed that plates carry parts of the seafloor.
How did scientist deduce the geological history of Earth?
It is widely accepted by both geologists and astronomers that Earth is roughly 4.6 billion years old. This age has been obtained from the isotopic analysis of many meteorites as well as of soil and rock samples from the Moon by such dating methods as rubidium–strontium and uranium–lead.
Why is plate tectonic activity important for the planet?
Plate activity on Earth has helped to regulate the level of carbon dioxide over the eons. The same weathering that pulls nutrients from mountaintops down into the oceans also helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Who is John Tuzo Wilson?
John Tuzo Wilson CC OBE FRS FRSE FRSC (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 .
What was Wilson's career?
Career. In 1936, Wilson joined the Canadian Geological Survey as a government geologist. This was interrupted by the Second World War during which he served with the Royal Canadian Engineers, serving in Europe and reaching the rank of Colonel. He was involved in Operation Musk Ox.
When was Wilson made an officer?
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. Wilson was awarded the John J. Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences in 1975.
Where was Wilson born?
Wilson was born in Ottawa on October 24, 1908, the son of John Armistead Wilson CBE, and his wife, Henrietta Tuzo. Wilson's father was of Scottish descent and his mother was a third-generation Canadian of French descent.
Who was the first professor of geophysics at the University of Toronto?
In 1946 he was appointed the first Professor of Geophysics at the University of Toronto. Wilson was president (1957–1960) of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). In 1967 he became Principal of the university. In 1974 he left to become the Director General of the Ontario Science Centre.
When was the first professor of geophysics appointed?
In 1946 he was appointed the first Professor of Geophysics at the University of Toronto.
What did John Tuzo Wilson do?
John Tuzo Wilson had two major contributions to the solidification of the theory of plate tectonics, the introduction of hotspots, and the recognition of transform boundaries.
Where was Tuzo Wilson born?
Biographical Information. John Tuzo Wilson, primarily known as Tuzo Wilson, was born on October 24, 1908 in Ottawa, Ontario. While in high school Wilson gained some of his first geologic exposure from gaining summer employment through the Geological Survey of Canada. He then continued his interests at the University of Toronto.
What did Tuzo do in the military?
After finishing his academic studies, Tuzo enlisted in Canadian Army and served during World War II. In 1946 he then became Professor of Geophysics at the University of Toronto, and was later appointed principal of the University's Erindale College in 1967.
What did Wilson do in the 1960s?
He showed that there was strong evidence for an earlier Atlantic ocean that was closed by continental drift and then reopened, along a slightly different center, into our current Atlantic. His detailed work lead to the categorization of the world's oceans in terms of the stages of development in a cycle that is now called the Wilson Cycle.
Who was the director of the Ontario Science Centre?
In 1974 Wilson was named Director General of the Ontario Science Centre. He was also the chancellor of York University (1983-1986). John Tuzo Wilson died on April 15, 1993 in Toronto, Ontario.
What did Wilson do in 1963?
(Photograph courtesy of the Ontario Science Centre.) In 1963, Wilson developed a concept crucial to the plate-tectonics theory.
What did Wilson propose?
He proposed that there must be a third type of plate boundary to connect the oceanic ridges and trenches, which he noted can end abruptly and "transform" into major faults that slip horizontally.
Who discovered transforms and hotspots?
J. Tuzo Wilson: Discovering transforms and hotspots. Canadian geophysicist J. Tuzo Wilson was also pivotal in advancing the plate-tectonics theory. Intrigued by Wegener's notion of a mobile Earth and influenced by Harry Hess' exciting ideas, Wilson was eager to convert others to the revolution brewing in the earth sciences in the early 1960s.
Who were the scientists who discovered plate tectonics?
Wilson and other scientists, including Robert Dietz, Harry Hess, Drummond Matthews, and Frederick Vine, were the principal architects in the early development of plate tectonics during the mid-1960s -- a theory that is as vibrant and exciting today as it was when it first began to evolve less than 30 years ago.
Who was the professor of geophysics at the University of Toronto?
Wilson was a professor of geophysics at the University of Toronto from 1946 until 1974, when he retired from teaching and became the Director of the Ontario Science Centre. He was a tireless lecturer and traveller until his death in 1993.
Was Wilson's hotspot idea accepted?
However, in the early 1960s, his idea was considered so radical that his "hotspot" manuscript was rejected by all the major international scientific journals.
What did Wilson deduce about the hot spots on the islands?
much older. Wilson deduced that there must be a stationary "hot spot over which the islands
What was Wilson's explanation of the new theory of plate tectonics?
called Wilson's explanation of the new theory of plate tectonics "one of the century's. five major advances in science. Wilson was born in Ottawa, the son of a Scottish engineer father and an adventurous, mountain-climbing mother. When in the mid-1920s he switched majors in university from.
What was Wilson's career after he quit?
Wilson's distinguished career continued even after he quit university. As director of the
Who developed the plate tectonics theory?
Wilson developed his theory of "plate tectonics after several brilliant insights. First was
Who suggested that the continents drifted?
German meteorologist Alfred Wegener suggested that the continents "drifted, but no one took
Who wrote the paper "We all understand the Earth"?
we all understand the Earth. The paper was written by the Canadian scientist John Tuzo. Wilson, a man gifted with stunning vitality and extraordinary intuition.
When did the mountain climber switch majors in university?
mountain-climbing mother. When in the mid-1920s he switched majors in university from
How did John Tuzo Wilson's theory of continental drift help the theory of continental drift?
I n 1963 John Tuzo Wilson revolutionized geology by suggesting that volcanic islands, such of those of Hawaii, had been formed by the movements of plates over a "hotspot" in the earth's mantle. This helped revive the theory of continental drift, which had suffered due to apparent contradictions—contradictions that Wilson's theory resolved. Two years later, in 1965, he offered another groundbreaking idea when he published a paper describing a third type of plate and plate movement, in addition to the two types already identified.
What type of plate boundary did Wilson observe?
Wilson now postulated a third type of plate boundary. Ridges and trenches, he observed, often end abruptly and "transform" into major faults that drop off sharply. These "transforms" or transform-fault boundaries, of which the San Andreas Fault in California is an example, offset the earth's crust horizontally, but do not create or destroy crust. As a result of Wilson's observations and those of others, continental drift theory was revived, helping to open the way for plate tectonics theory in the 1960s and 1970s.
Where did Wilson go to college?
from Trinity College at the University of Toronto, he became the first student at any Canadian university to earn a degree in geophysical studies. Wilson went on to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he earned a second B.A. in 1932, then to Princeton to earn a Ph.D. in 1936.
When did Wilson retire?
Wilson remained at the University of Toronto until 1974, when he retired and became director general of the Ontario Science Centre. He served as chancellor of York University from 1983 to 1986, and died on April 15, 1993, in Toronto.
Who first proposed continental drift?
By this time, the idea of continental drift, first put forward by Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) in the early 1900s, seemed to have come and gone. Geologists had returned to the belief that the continents were fixed in place, particularly in light of apparent contradictions, such as the fact that some volcanoes could be found many thousands of miles from the nearest plate boundary. Then, in 1963, Wilson published his revolutionary findings.
Who was John Tuzo Wilson?
John Tuzo Wilson, geophysicist (b at Ottawa 24 Oct 1908; d at Toronto 15 Apr 1993). After obtaining the University of Toronto's first Bachelor of Arts in geophysics (1930), Wilson attended Cambridge (1932, 1940) and Princeton universities (1936), and worked with the GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA (1936-39).
What did Wilson do?
Wilson served on the National Research Council (1958-64), the Defence Research Board of Canada (1960-66) and the Science Council of Canada (1977-83). Besides his academic work, Wilson wrote for popular audiences, including 2 books on China that helped reopen relations between China and Western countries.
What did Wilson do in the Arctic?
He also pioneered the use of air photos in geological mapping and was responsible for the first glacial map of Canada. While searching for unknown arctic islands in 1946-47, Wilson became the second Canadian to fly over the NORTH POLE, a site he revisited in 1982.
What was Wilson's greatest contribution to the world?
Wilson was internationally respected for his work on glaciers, mountain building, geology of ocean basins, and structure of continents; his greatest contribution lay in his explanation of PLATE TECTONICS.
What university did Wilson teach at?
After "retirement" in 1974, Wilson combined his science and public interests as director general of the ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE (1974-85), remained at the University of Toronto as a distinguished lecturer (1974-77) and professor emeritus (1977) and was chancellor of York University (1983-86).
What did Tuzo Wilson discover?
In 1963, Tuzo Wilson proposed that plates might move over fixed ‘ hotspots ’ in the mantle, forming volcanic island chains like Hawaii. In 1965, he followed this discovery with the idea of a third type of plate boundary - transform faults. Also known as a conservative plate boundaries, these faults slip horizontally, ...
Who was John Tuzo Wilson?
John Tuzo-Wilson (1908 - 1993) The Canadian geophysicist John Tuzo-Wilson was initially sceptical of the theory of Plate Tectonics, but eventually became one of its most famous supporters, proposing two important ideas.
Overview
John Tuzo Wilson CC OBE FRS FRSE FRSC (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 scientific theory that the rigid outer layers of the Earth (crust and part of the upper mantle), the lithosphere, is broken up into around 13 piec…
Early life and education
Wilson was born in Ottawa on October 24, 1908, the son of John Armistead Wilson CBE, and his wife, Henrietta Tuzo. Wilson's father was of Scottish descent and his mother was a third-generation Canadian of French descent.
He became one of the first people in Canada to receive a degree in geophysics, graduating from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 1930. He obtained a second (BA) degree from St. Jo…
Career
In 1936, Wilson joined the Geological Survey of Canada as a government geologist. This was interrupted by the Second World War during which he served with the Royal Canadian Engineers, serving in Europe and reaching the rank of Colonel. He was involved in Operation Musk Ox.
In 1946 he was appointed the first Professor of Geophysics at the University of Toronto.
He made significant contributions to the theory of Plate tectonics, adding a concept of hot spots. …
Honours and awards
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. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1971 and the American Philosophical Society in 1971. Wilson was awarded the John J. Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences, of which he was already a member, in 1975. In 1978, he was awarded the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society of London and a Gold Medal by the R…
Personal life
Wilson was an avid traveller and took a large number of photographs during his travels to many destinations, including European countries, parts of the then USSR, China, the southern Pacific, Africa, and to both polar regions. Although many of his photos are geological—details of rocks and their structures or panoramas of large formations—the bulk of his photos are of the places, activities and people that he saw on his travels: landscapes, city views, monuments, sites, instru…
Selected publications
• One Chinese Moon (1959)
• Wilson, Tuzo (July 14, 1962). "Cabot Fault, An Appalachian Equivalent of the San Andreas and Great Glen Faults and some Implications for Continental Displacement". Nature. 195 (4837): 135–138. Bibcode:1962Natur.195..135W. doi:10.1038/195135a0. S2CID 4289725.
See also
• List of geophysicists
• Science and technology in Canada
External links
• "J. Tuzo Wilson". GSA Today, Rock Stars. September 2001. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
• West, Gordon F.; Farquhar, Ron M.; Garland, George D.; Halls, Henry C.; Morley, Lawrence W.; Russell, R. Don (January 2014). "John Tuzo Wilson: a man who moved mountains". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 51 (3): xvii–xxxi. Bibcode:2014CaJES..51D..17W. doi:10.1139/cjes-2013-0175.