PUBLIC LECTURE

From continental drift via plate tectonics to a new paradigm

MP3 format - 17MB

The Shine Dome, Canberra, Monday 21 November 2011

Professor John F. Dewey FAA FRS
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California
Senior Research Fellow, University College, Oxford

John Dewey is a distinguished geologist who has been at the forefront of the development of new concepts in tectonics during the last 50 years. He has been a leader in transforming tectonic geology to its modern form. His work on mountain belts shows how their evolution is related to collisions between tectonic plates at the Earth's surface. He has made major contributions to understanding both the detailed nature and the timing of those events. As a frequent visitor to Australia during the last 20 years, Professor Dewey has made significant contributions to the understanding of Australian geology. In 2011, he was elected as Corresponding Members of the Australian Academy of Science. He has received numerous previous honours including the highest awards of the geological societies of London and America, the Wollaston and Penrose Medals. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and member of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. He has over 160 publications in leading journals and is writing two books.

From continental drift via plate tectonics to a new paradigm

This lecture outlines the history of mainstream geology, especially tectonics, through some of the main figures, their ideas and research. The development of tectonics will be visualized in six phases. The early Fundamental Period until about 1870 in which the basic principles of geology were worked out, mostly by brilliant field observation. The Noble Period until 1925 in which huge tracts around the world were mapped, and major tectonic relationships and ideas were developed. A Stagnant Period until 1955 in which few advances in tectonics were made, partly because of the resistance of influential earth scientists to mobilism. A Transition Period until 1965 of oceanographic exploration and discovery, mainly by US institutions. This led to the Golden period when the development of plate tectonics and its geological corollaries took place, resulting in the greatest paradigm change in the history of geology. This was followed by a Consolidation Period of working out new tectonic concepts and principles, mainly from meticulous field work.