James B. Macelwane

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Bernard Macelwane (born September 28, 1883 in Port Clinton, Ohio, † February 15, 1956 ) was an American seismologist .

Macelwane was the son of a farmer and fisherman of Irish descent. He studied at St. John's College in Toledo, joined the Jesuits in 1903, and made his vows in 1905. First he visited the mission of the German Jesuits in Buffalo, where he also learned German, and after their dissolution in 1908 the mission in Missouri. He also attended St. Louis University with a Master of Science degree in 1912. During his studies he had turned to geology - the Jesuits had started to build a seismological network as early as 1911, and Macelwane constructed with his Jesuit colleague Joseph Joliat instead seismographs. He was ordained a priest in 1918. He continued his theology studies and also taught physics in St. Louis. In 1923 he received his doctorate in seismology from the University of California with Elmer E. Hall (the first doctorate in the USA in this field). Then he was assistant professor of geology there. In 1925 he returned to St. Louis and became professor of geophysics there. He was director of the Jesuit Seismological Association for many years . He was Dean of the Graduate School from 1927 to 1933 and founded the Institute of Geophysical Technology at the university in 1944 .

In the USA he is considered a pioneer of seismology and used it early on in oil exploration. Another field of research was microseismics - the investigation of the connection between weak seismic signals and processes in the atmosphere - which also led to cooperation with the US Navy.

The James B. Macelwane Medal is named in his honor. In addition, Mount Macelwane in the Antarctic bears his name. In 1949 he received the William Bowie Medal . 1928/29 he was President of the Seismological Society of America . From 1953 until his death he was President of the American Geophysical Union . In 1944 he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences . He was a four-time honorary doctor.

Fonts

  • With others: "Internal constitution of the earth", McGraw Hill 1939 (in it Chapter 10: "Evidence of the interior of the earth derived from seismic sources")
  • "Introduction to theoretical seismology I: Geodynamics", Wiley 1936
  • The Brunner focal depth-time-distance chart , 1935
  • "When the earth quakes", Milwaukee 1947
  • Earthquake conditions in Chile , 1929

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Macelwane, James B.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Macelwane, James Bernard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American seismologist
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH near Port Clinton, Ohio
DATE OF DEATH February 15, 1956