Maurice Ewing

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Ewing (1972)

William Maurice Ewing (born May 12, 1906 in Lockney , Texas , † May 4, 1974 in Galveston , Texas) was an American geophysicist .

Career

Ewing was Associate Professor from 1944 to 1949, Professor from 1947 to 1959 and Higgins Professor of Geology from 1959 to 1972 at Columbia University . At his suggestion, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory was founded in 1949 .

Ewing made important contributions to geophysics . In particular, he investigated the processes involved in deposits on the seabed and on land. Ewing also worked on topics in seismology , earthquake research and made contributions to the detection of underground explosions , underwater acoustics as well as sedimentology and tectonics .

Ewing analyzed and interpreted a large part of the seismic spectrum of earthquake waves , the so-called coda . He investigated the free vibrations of the earth's body , the sound channel of the oceans and the dispersion of sound in sea ​​water .

Ewing suggested using the SOFAR channel to locate pilots who had crashed over the sea. He improved or constructed, among other things, the bath thermograph , the sonar , hydrophones , devices for gravimetry and underwater cameras .

In 1957, William Maurice Ewing was honored with the American Geophysical Union's highest distinction , the William Bowie Medal , for his outstanding research . He also received u. a. 1963 the John J. Carty Award of the National Academy of Sciences , of which he was a member since 1948, 1964 the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society , 1965 the Vega Medal of the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography , 1973 the National Medal of Science and 1974 the Penrose Medal from the Geological Society of America . The Maurice Ewing Medal , which has been awarded by the American Geophysical Union since 1976, is named after him. In 1951 Ewing was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 1959 to the American Philosophical Society . The Dorsa Ewing on the Earth's moon is named after him. The same applies to the island of Ewing Island in Antarctica.

Ewing died on May 4, 1974 in Galveston, Texas, and was buried in Palisades , New York State .

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personal data
SURNAME Ewing, Maurice
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ewing, William Maurice
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American physicist
DATE OF BIRTH May 12, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Lockney , Texas
DATE OF DEATH May 4th 1974
Place of death Galveston , Texas