Dutton, Clarence Edward

Dutton, Clarence Edward

▪ American geologist
born May 15, 1841, Wallingford, Conn., U.S.
died Jan. 4, 1912, Englewood, N.J.

      American geologist and pioneer seismologist who developed and named the principle of isostasy. According to this principle, the level of the Earth's crust is determined by its density; lighter material rises, forming continents, mountains, and plateaus, and heavier material sinks, forming basins and ocean floors.

      Dutton joined the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant in 1862. After the Civil War, he developed an interest in geology. In 1875 he joined the naturalist John Wesley Powell in the U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain region and spent 10 years exploring the plateaus of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. There he investigated volcanic action and the uplifting, sinking, twisting, and folding of the Earth's crust.

      Dutton's study of the earthquake that affected Charleston, S.C., in 1886 led him to publish a report (1889) in which he advanced a method for determining the depth of the focal point of an earthquake and for measuring with unprecedented accuracy the velocity of waves. He proposed his principle of isostasy in the paper “On Some of the Greater Problems of Physical Geology” (1892). In 1904 he published the semipopular treatise Earthquakes in the Light of the New Seismology. Late in his career Dutton concluded that lava is liquefied by the heat released during decay of radioactive elements and that it is forced to the surface by the weight of overlying rocks.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dutton , Clarence Edward — (1841–1912) American geologist Born in Wallingford, Connecticut, Dutton graduated from Yale in 1860 and then entered the Yale Theological Seminary. He joined the army in 1862 during the Civil War and remained in the army although not always on… …   Scientists

  • Clarence Edward Dutton — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dutton. Clarence Dutton. Clarence Edward Dutton (15 mai 1841, Wallingford, CT …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Clarence Dutton — Born May 15, 1841 Wallingford, Connecti …   Wikipedia

  • Dutton —   [dʌtn], Clarence Edward, amerikanischer Geologe, * Wallingford (Conneticut) 15. 5. 1841, ✝ Englewood (N. J.) 4. 1. 1912; begründete die Lehre von der Isostasie und entwickelte Methoden zur Lokalisierung von Erdbeben.   Werke: Tertiary history… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Dutton —  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie des personnes (réelles ou fictives) partageant un même patronyme. Classement par ordre alphabétique Charles S. Dutton (1951 ), acteur et réalisateur américain ; Clarence Edward Dutton (1841 1912),… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Earth Sciences — ▪ 2009 Introduction Geology and Geochemistry       The theme of the 33rd International Geological Congress, which was held in Norway in August 2008, was “Earth System Science: Foundation for Sustainable Development.” It was attended by nearly… …   Universalium

  • continental landform — ▪ geology Introduction       any conspicuous topographic feature on the largest land areas of the Earth. Familiar examples are mountains (including volcanic (volcanism) cones), plateaus, and valleys. (The term landform also can be applied to… …   Universalium

  • Cosmos Club — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. Historic district Contributing property …   Wikipedia

  • ʻAʻā-Lava — ʻAʻā Lavabrocken nach einem Ausbruch des Puʻu ʻŌʻō im Juni 1983 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pāhoehoe-Lava — (hawaiisch pāhoehoe)[1] ist eine aus sehr dünnflüssigem (also gering viskosem), etwa 1100 bis 1200 °C heißem, gasarmem und basischem Magma erzeugte Lava. Der Begriff wurde von Clarence Dutton in die geologische Fachsprache eingeführt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”