Keith Runcorn
| Keith Runcorn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 November 1922 Southport, Lancashire |
| Died | 5 December 1995 (aged 73) San Diego, California |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Fields | plate tectonics; paleomagnetism |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, Newcastle University, University of Alaska, Fairbanks |
| Alma mater | Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, University of Manchester |
| Doctoral advisor | Patrick Blackett |
| Doctoral students | numerous: see body of article |
| Known for | reestablishing viability of the theory of continental drift; discoveries in planetary magnetism |
| Influences | Patrick Blackett |
| Influenced | two generations of earth scientists |
| Notable awards | Fellow of the Royal Society The Chree Medal and Prize (1969) Vetlesen Prize (1970) RAS Gold Medal (1984) |
Stanley Keith Runcorn FRS (19 November 1922 – 5 December 1995) was a British physicist whose paleomagnetic reconstruction of the relative motions of Europe and America revived the theory of continental drift and was a major contribution to plate tectonics.
He was born in Southport, Lancashire and graduated in engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1942.
After a period in radar research during the World War II, he joined the Physics Department at the University of Manchester where he did research on aspects of the Earth's magnetic field, taking his Ph.D. under Patrick Blackett in 1949. This led to his interest in palaeomagnetism, the study of the magnetism of rocks, which he pursued first at the Geophysics Department at the University of Cambridge and later at Newcastle University, where he was appointed to the chair of Physics in 1956. At Newcastle Runcorn developed a strong research group in geophysics, and made substantial contributions to various fields, including convection in the Earth and Moon, the shape and magnetic fields of the Moon and planets, magnetohydrodynamics of the Earth's core, changes in the length of the day, polar wandering, continental drift and plate tectonics.
Runcorn received many honours, including Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1965, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and the Fleming medal of the American Geophysical Union. He was also a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science. In 1981, Runcorn became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.He served as the Sydney Chapman Endowed Chair in Physical Sciences at the University of Alaska from 1989 to 1995. After his retirement in 1988 he continued to be active in various lines of research until his untimely death in San Diego in 1995. In 2007 the RAS named an award – for the year's best PhD thesis in geophysics – the 'Keith Runcorn Prize' in his honour.
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