Thomas Dibblee
Thomas Wilson Dibblee, Jr. (11 October 1911, in Santa Barbara, California – 17 November 2004, in Santa Barbara, California) was an American geologist best known for his geological mapping. He is also known, together with co-author Mason Hill, for the assertion in 1953 that hundreds of miles of lateral movement had taken place along the San Andreas Fault in California, an idea that was radical at the time, but which has been vindicated by later work and the modern theory of plate tectonics. Dibblee was one of the most prolific field geologists in American history, and over a 60-year career of field mapping, including 25 years with the US Geological Survey, left a legacy of 40,000 square miles (100,000 km2) of geologic maps, covering approximately one fourth of the state of California.
Dibblee was born in 1911, the eldest son of Thomas Dibblee Sr. and Anita Oreña Dibblee. His earliest California ancestor was Captain José de la Guerra y Noriega, the Comandante of the Presidio of Santa Barbara. Dibblee grew up on Rancho San Julian, one of the Dibblee - de la Guerra family ranches. He became interested in geology as a boy, when he assisted a geologist who surveyed the family ranch for oil-bearing structures.
After graduating from Stanford University in 1936, Dibblee worked briefly for the California Division of Mines, then went to work for Union Oil Company and then Richfield Oil as a field exploration petroleum geologist. His field mapping led to the discovery of the Russell Ranch Oil Field, the first oil field to be found in the Cuyama Valley, in 1948, and then to the nearby larger South Cuyama Oil Field in 1949.
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