John Tuzo Wilson - A man of the Earth - Literally (Science SHORT Essay)

John Tuzo Wilson – A Man of the Earth - Literally

John Tuzo Wilson was an extraordinary man who revolutionized how we thought of our Earth’s surface. This fascinating man stood out among the rest of the Canadian scientists, and has awed many of the scientific community.

J. Tuzo Wilson was born on October 24^th, 1908, in Ottawa. He attended the University of Toronto, and was the first student in Canada to take geophysics. From 1946 to 1974, he studied at the university, and during the middle period of this time (around the 1060’s), he “refined” the theory of Plate Tectonics. Plate Tectonics is how the Earth’s crust is divided into “plates”, like a huge jig-saw puzzle. During that time, the theory was not taken into consideration within the scientific community.

This man has been a very fundamental contribution to the scientific world. He presented the thought of how hot spots (produced by convection currents), which are underneath the moving plates of the Earth, produced islands (e.g. Hawaii and Japan). He also presented the type of faults called “transform faults”, which are the “borders” of plates. However, unlike other faults, transform faults slide against each other. Wilson additionally found the patterns of faulting and the structure of the continents.

By refining the almost abandoned theory of Plate Tectonics, John Tuzo Wilson has done what most people will never achieve in their short lifetime. He has done the seemingly impossible, and has been successfully rewarded because of it. Overall, John Wilson’s life was a remarkable and inspirational journey which numerous people have aspired to be, and I am one of them.

Reference

Particle Physics. John Terning. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Encyclopedia Brittanica. Encyclopedia Brittania. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Encyclopedia Brittanica. Encyclopedia Brittanica. Web. 17 May 2010. .