300:. He pioneered the precise measurement of ultra-small samples under strict clean room conditions with minimal contamination. He was the co-inventor of the Lunatic Spectrometer (the first fully digital mass spectrometer with computer-controlled magnetic field scanning and rapid switching) and founder of the "Lunatic Asylum" research laboratory at
317:
Wasserburg's research led to a butter understanding of the origins and history of the Solar System and its component bodies and the precursor stellar sources contributing to the Solar System; this research established a time scale for the development of the early Solar System, including the processes
374:
in
Geosciences in 1986. He was the recipient of several honorary degrees. He was recipient of the J.F.Kemp Medal with Paul W. Gast Columbia Univ 1973,the H. Hess Medal of the American Geophysical Union in 1985,the Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Soc. 1975,the J.Lawrence Smith Medal of the National
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He joined the faculty at
Caltech in 1955 as assistant professor. He became associate professor in 1959 and professor of geology and geophysics in 1962. In 1982 he became the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics; he retired in 2001. He,
375:
Academy of
Science 1985, the Arthur L. Day Prize & Lectureship of the National Academy of Science 1981, the Holmes Medal of the European Union of Geosciences in 1986 and the V. M. Goldschmidt medal of the Geochemical society in 1978.
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specializing in high precision, high sensitivity isotopic analyses of meteorites, lunar and terrestrial samples. He and his co-workers were major contributors to establishing a chronology for the Moon and proposed the hypothesis of the
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190:(March 25, 1927 – June 13, 2016) was an American geologist. At the time of his death, he was the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics, emeritus, at the
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and the formation and evolution of the planets, the Moon and the meteorites. More recently, he investigated models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy.
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He is survived by his sons
Charles and Daniel Wasserburg, as well his grandchildren Ori, Philip, Roscoe and Benjamin Wasserburg.
441:. Collection guide at the Online Archive of California (OAC) by the Institute Archives of the California Institute of Technology
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National Museum of
American History Acquires Wasserburg Mass Spectrometer, press release, 11 Sept. 2008
403:. The California Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences. Archived from
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309:(LHB) of the whole inner Solar System at near 4.0 Gy ago (with F. Tera, D. A. Papanastassiou).
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ARCHIVES :: IN THE NEWS - Caltech (Lunatic I mass spectrometer with small photograph)
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http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.earth.31.100901.141409
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and D.A. Papanastassiou discovered the presence of short-lived radioactive
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Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal
Astronomical Society
532:"Evidence for the existence of Pd in the early solar system"
222:, he graduated from high school and attended college on the
439:"Finding Aid for the Gerald J. Wasserburg Papers 1927-2011"
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Lee, T.; Papanastassiou, D. A.; Wasserburg, G. J. (1977).
474:(autobiography) Annu.Rev. Earth Planet Sci.2003,v31,1-74
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Members of the United States
National Academy of Sciences
491:"Aluminum-26 in the early solar system: Fossil or fuel?"
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Members of the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
664:(4765) Wasserburg In: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names
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Interview with Gerald J. Wasserburg for NOVA series:
456:. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Archived from
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569:"Jim Arnold, founding chemistry chair, 1923-2012"
218:After leaving the US Army, where he received the
704:WGBH Educational Foundation, raw footage, 1998
578:, Obituary, UCSD Division of Physical Sciences
194:. He was known for his work in the fields of
530:Kelly, William R.; Wasserburg, G. J. (1978).
284:, including being a member of the so-called "
230:in 1954, with a thesis on the development of
8:
360:Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
120:Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
728:California Institute of Technology faculty
264:in the early Solar System and short-lived
226:. Wasserburg completed his Ph.D. from the
18:
773:Recipients of the V. M. Goldschmidt Award
514:
636:Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
344:Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
481:
352:NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
95:NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
326:Organizational affiliations and legacy
276:Wasserburg was deeply involved in the
340:American Academy of Arts and Sciences
7:
192:California Institute of Technology
14:
589:"25 Years Of Curating Moon Rocks"
420:"Profile of Gerald J. Wasserburg"
366:in 2008. He was co-winner, with
234:, done under the sponsorship of
667:. Springer. 2003. p. 410.
673:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_4671
336:American Philosophical Society
16:American geologist (1927–2016)
1:
733:University of Chicago alumni
536:Geophysical Research Letters
332:National Academy of Sciences
330:He was a member of the U.S.
789:
495:The Astrophysical Journal
454:"The Crafoord Prize 1986"
181:
132:
47:New Brunswick, New Jersey
768:American astrophysicists
382:is named in his honor.
220:Combat Infantryman Badge
33:Gerald Joseph Wasserburg
753:Wollaston Medal winners
556:10.1029/GL005i012p01079
268:with William R. Kelly.
100:V. M. Goldschmidt Award
763:American geophysicists
401:"Gerald J. Wasserburg"
354:in 1972 and 1978, the
307:Late Heavy Bombardment
282:returned Lunar samples
661:"(4765) Wasserburg".
228:University of Chicago
97:(1972 and twice 1978)
79:University of Chicago
758:American geochemists
642:on 27 September 2011
196:isotope geochemistry
188:Gerald J. Wasserburg
598:(57): 8. July 1994.
548:1978GeoRL...5.1079K
507:1977ApJ...211L.107L
472:Isotopic Adventures
348:Arthur L. Day Medal
125:William Bowie Medal
115:Arthur Holmes Medal
90:Arthur L. Day Medal
23:Gerald J Wasserburg
632:"Gruppe 3: Geofag"
574:2015-03-30 at the
313:Impact of research
682:978-3-540-29925-7
185:
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134:Scientific career
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362:in 1991 and the
298:Paul Werner Gast
167:Doctoral advisor
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356:Wollaston Medal
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320:nucleosynthesis
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372:Crafoord Prize
368:Claude Allègre
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288:", along with
278:Apollo Program
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272:Apollo Program
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200:cosmochemistry
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172:Harold C. Urey
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110:Crafoord Prize
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62:(aged 89)
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43:March 25, 1927
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501:: L107–L110.
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378:Minor planet
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346:. He won the
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644:. Retrieved
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240:Mark Inghram
217:
208:astrophysics
187:
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176:Mark Inghram
156:astrophysics
133:
60:(2016-06-13)
723:2016 deaths
718:1927 births
701:To the Moon
364:Bowie Medal
258:Typhoon Lee
236:Harold Urey
232:K–Ar dating
204:meteoritics
67:Nationality
712:Categories
596:Lunar News
464:2008-05-24
445:2012-11-30
430:2012-01-11
411:2012-01-11
394:References
342:, and the
294:Jim Arnold
290:Bob Walker
144:geophysics
39:1927-03-25
646:7 October
370:, of the
280:with the
224:G.I. Bill
214:Education
160:chemistry
148:astronomy
572:Archived
251:Academia
70:American
544:Bibcode
503:Bibcode
302:Caltech
152:geology
679:
386:Family
338:, the
334:, the
296:, and
246:Career
206:, and
140:Fields
127:(2008)
122:(1991)
117:(1987)
112:(1986)
107:(1985)
102:(1978)
92:(1970)
85:Awards
592:(PDF)
677:ISBN
648:2010
238:and
174:and
55:Died
49:, US
29:Born
669:doi
552:doi
511:doi
499:211
318:of
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266:Pd
262:Al
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.