Reinhard Bortfeld

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Reinhard Bortfeld
Royal Dutch Shell
  • Clausthal University of Technology

    • Reinhard Bortfeld (25 February 1927 – 10 July 2019) was a German geophysicist.

    Life

    Bortfeld grew up in

    Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague, Netherlands. In 1980 he became a full professor and director of the Institute of Geophysics at the Clausthal University of Technology, Germany. He retired and became professor emeritus in 1992.[1][2][3]
    In 1960 Bortfeld married Monika Bortfeld, with whom he has a son, Thomas, and a daughter, Julia.

    Work in geophysics

    With his mathematical approach to solve problems of exploration geophysics, Bortfeld has had long lasting impact, in particular on the field of reflection seismology. He is primarily known for the Bortfeld approximation[4][5] of the Zöppritz equations, which facilitated a physical interpretation of the reflection coefficients of seismic waves. He has been considered as the father of the amplitude versus offset method,[1] which, after further developments, has played a crucial role for the detection of economically useful geological deposits. Heading the data processing center at Prakla-Seismos,[6] he advanced the use of computers in exploration geophysics. During his tenure at the Clausthal University of Technology, he was in charge of processing the data for the German continental seismic reflection program (DEKORP).[7] He also worked on the application of geometrical optics to seismic systems.[8] This work inspired further developments by subsequent generations of geophysicists.[2] Bortfeld was awarded the Conrad Schlumberger Award[9] in 1960 and the Reginald Fessenden Award in 1989.[10]

    Selected publications

    • Bortfeld, R. (1961). "Approximations to the Reflection and Transmission Coefficients of Plane Longitudinal and Transverse Waves". Geophysical Prospecting. 9 (4): 485–502.
      doi:10.1111/j.1365-2478.1961.tb01670.x
      .
    • Bortfeld, R. (1989). "Geometrical ray theory: Rays and traveltimes in seismic systems (second‐order approximations of the traveltimes)". Geophysics. 54 (3): 342–349.
      doi:10.1190/1.1442659
      .
    • R. Meissner and R.K. Bortfeld. DEKORP–Atlas. Results of Deutsches Kontinentales Reflexionsseismisches Programm, Springer, Berlin-Heidelberg, 1990.

    Further reading

    References

    1. ^ a b Peter Hubral. "Reinhard Bortfeld". Biography Citation for the Reginald Fessenden Award. Society of Exploration Geophysicists Wiki.
    2. ^
      ISBN 90-73781-22-1
    3. ^ "Institutsgeschichte" (in German). Institut für Geophysik TU Clausthal.
    4. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2478.1961.tb01670.x
      .
    5. doi:10.1190/1.3513827
      .
    6. ^ "Organisation PRAKLA 1. Januar 1969" (PDF). Prakla Seismos Rundschau Heft 34 (in German). PRAKLA Gesellschaft für praktische Lagerstättenforschung GmbH. 1969.
    7. ^ R. Meissner and R.K. Bortfeld. DEKORP–Atlas. Results of Deutsches Kontinentales Reflexionsseismisches Programm. Springer 1990
    8. doi:10.1190/1.1442659
      .
    9. ^ "Past Winners of the Conrad Schlumberger Award". European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers.
    10. ^ "Recipients of the Reginald Fessenden Award". Reginald Fessenden Award. Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
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