Walter Alvarez
Walter Alvarez | |
---|---|
PhD) | |
Known for | Alvarez hypothesis |
Spouse |
Milly Alvarez (m. 1963) |
Awards |
|
Scientific career | |
Fields | Geology |
Institutions |
Walter Alvarez (born October 3, 1940) is a professor in the Earth and Planetary Science department at the University of California, Berkeley. He and his father, Nobel Prize–winning physicist Luis Alvarez, developed the theory that dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid impact.
Biography
Born in
Alvarez earned his
Alvarez then moved to Lamont–Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, and began studying the Mediterranean tectonics in the light of the new theory of plate tectonics. His work on tectonic paleomagnetism in Italy led to a study of the geomagnetic reversals recorded in Italian deep-sea limestones. Alvarez and his colleagues were able to date the reversals for an interval of more than 100 million years of the Earth's history by using Foraminifera biostratigraphy.[1][2]
Impact theory
Alvarez and his father
This iridium enrichment has now been observed in many other sites around the world. In addition, the
In addition to his interest in extinction events and impacts, Alvarez has contributed to the understanding of
Big History
Alvarez began teaching a course in
Alvarez helped organize a meeting of Big Historians at the Geological Observatory at Coldigioco in Italy in 2010[8] which resulted in the establishment of the International Big History Association. In 2011, the IBHA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.[9]
Alvarez was one of the founding members of the IBHA,[10] and served on the advisory board until August 7, 2014 when he stepped down at the 2014 IBHA conference held at Dominican University of California.
ChronoZoom
In partnership with Microsoft Research, Alvarez developed a zoomable timeline called ChronoZoom,[11] which is a computer-graphical approach to visualizing and understanding time scales, and presenting vast quantities of historical information in a useful way.[12] ChronoZoom was introduced at the 97th Annual Faculty Research Lecture at UC Berkeley.[13]
Awards and honors
Alvarez was elected a Fellow of the
Minor planet 3581 Alvarez is named after him and his father, Luis Walter Alvarez.[16]
Works
- ISBN 0-375-70210-5
- The Mountains of Saint Francis: The Geologic Events that Shaped Our Earth. W. W. Norton. 2008. ISBN 9780393061857 – via Internet Archive.
- A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of our Planet and Ourselves (W. W. Norton, 2016) ISBN 978-0393292695
References
- ^ a b c d "Walter Alvarez". Department of Earth and Planatery Science at UCB. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ^ a b Alvarez, Walter. "The historical record in the Scaglia limestone at Gubbio: magnetic reversals and the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction" (PDF). Sedimentology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ People and Discoveries: Alvarez finds evidence of dinosaur-killing asteroid, 1980,PBS website, accessed April 17, 2011.
- S2CID 2659741. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- ^ "Letters and Science Discovery Courses". Archived from the original on 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
- ^ Big History online
- ^ "International Big History Association (IBHA)". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
- ^ Origins of the International Big History Association
- ^ International Big History Association Articles of Incorporation
- ^ "Contacts for the International Big History Association". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
- ^ Abstracts – Microsoft Research
- ^ "ChronoZoom Project Information". Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
- ^ "ChronoZoom debuts at UC Berkeley Faculty Research Lecture Series". University of California Berkeley Library. The Regents of the University of California. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ Geologist Who Linked Cosmic Strike to Dinosaurs' Extinction Takes Top Prize; The Vetlesen, on Level with Nobel, Goes to Walter Alvarez, Columbia University Earth Institute, October 16, 2008
- ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.