Gutenberg Benno (2 results)

Nachr. Ges. Wiss. Gött. 1912. - Göttigen 1912, 8°, pp.623-675, orig. Broschur. Erstdruck! "The fundamental work of Beno Gutenberg has inspired and guided an appreciable part of research in modern seismology, both from the experimental and the theoretical point of view. Among the several topics of seismology that have benefited from the fundamental contribution of Gutenberg, we consider particularly relevant the description of the asthenospheric low-velocity channel, the definition of the surface waves magnitude and the Gutenberg-Richter law, since they are pivotal tools for seismic hazard assessment. The quite revolutionary model for the lithosphere-asthenosphere system in the European area predicts the existence of almost aseismic lithospheric roots. These roots are located in correspondence of most of the orogenic belts and interrupt the asthenosphere low velocity channel that has been identified by Beno Gutenberg in 1948. The model of the European upper mantle, proposed for the first time in 1979 and subsequently refined, has stimulated a considerable amount of research, which has nicely confirmed the major innovative features of the early model. At present, the subduction of the lithosphere at continent-continent collisions, supported not only by seismological data, is a widely accepted concept within the community of Earth scientists, even if it contradicts one of the basic dogmas of the original formulation of plate tectonics. The proposed model for the Alpine-Apennines area supplies a new and unifying framework for the interpretation of the Quaternary magmatism, at present generally accepted by petrologists and geochemists. The fundamental work of Beno Gutenberg has inspired and guided most of the research in modern seismology, both from the experimental and the theoretical point of view. For a comprehensive review of the activity of the foremost observational seismologist of the 20th century, see Knopoff (1999). His earliest and most famous achievement is the accurate determination of the depth of the Earth's core Gutenberg et al., 1912, Gutenberg and Geiger, 1912, Gutenberg, 1913, Gutenberg, 1914, that represented the starting point for his numerous contributions to the study of the Earth system, like the investigation of the physical properties of the solid Earth (e.g. Gutenberg, 1924, Gutenberg, 1943, Gutenberg, 1959), the continental drift model (e.g. Gutenberg, 1927a, Gutenberg, 1927b, Gutenberg, 1930b), and the models of the atmosphere (e.g. Gutenberg, 1926, Gutenberg, 1930a)." Giuliano F. Panza, Fabio Romanelli: Beno Gutenberg contribution to seismic hazard assessment and recent progress in the European-Mediterranean region. Earth-Science Reviews,55/1-2 (2001), pp. 165-180 Beno Gutenberg (1889 -1960) made several important contributions to the science. He was a colleague and mentor of Charles Francis Richter at the California Institute of Technology and Richter's collaborator in developing the Richter magnitude scale for measuring an earthquake's magnitude.

Nachr. Ges. Wiss. Gött. 1912. - Göttigen 1912, 8°, pp.121-206, 20 Figuren, orig. Broschur. Rare Offprint! Karl Bernhard Zoeppritz (1881-1908) geophysicist who made important contributions to seismology, in particular the formulation of the Zoeppritz equations. These equations relate the amplitudes of P-waves and S-waves at each side of an interface, between two arbitrary elastic media, as a function of the angle of incidence and are largely used in reflection seismology for determining structure and properties of the subsurface. Using Wiechert's theoretical work and data from earthquakes including the 1905 Kangra earthquake, 1905 Calabria earthquake and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Zoeppritz's most important early contribution was the construction of travel-time curves - and their associated velocity-depth functions - for P-waves, S-waves and surface waves, recognising for the first time that body waves are reflected and converted at discontinuities. These curves were later used by other members of the research group, Ludwig Carl Geiger and Beno Gutenberg, as well as the British astronomer and seismologist Herbert Hall Turner at the International Seismological Summary. The related ill-posed inverse problem of inferring a discrete velocity distribution, representing the layers of the crust and mantle, was solved by fellow Göttingen mathematician Gustav Herglotz.