Beno Gutenberg
Encyclopedia
Beno Gutenberg was a German-American seismologist who 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.
Gutenberg was born in Darmstadt
, Germany
, and obtained his doctorate in physics from the University of Göttingen in 1911. His advisor was Emil Wiechert
. During the World War I
, Gutenberg served in the German army as a meteorologist in support of gas warfare operations
. Gutenberg held positions at the University of Strasbourg
which he lost when Strasbourg became French in 1918.
After some years where he had to sustain himself with managing his father's soap factory, he obtained in 1926 a junior professorship at University of Frankfurt-am-Main, which was poorly paid.
Although he was already, in the 1920s, one of the leading seismologists worldwide and definitely the leading seismologist in Germany, he was then still dependent on the position in his father's factory, yet he continued his research in his spare time. In 1928, the attempt to become the successor of his academic teacher Emil Wiechert in Göttingen failed. There are hints that Gutenberg's Jewish background might have played a role because, already in the 1920s, there were strong antisemitic tendencies in German universities. For similar reasons, he was also not accepted for a professorship in Potsdam
to become the successor of Gustav Angenheister.
Since Gutenberg could not sustain a career of scientific work in Germany, he accepted a position as Professor of Geophysics at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena in 1930, becoming founding director of the Seismological Laboratory
when it was transferred to Caltech from Carnegie
. Even if he had obtained a full professorship in Germany, he would have lost it in 1933 anyway, like so many other scientists of Jewish ancestry, at least 30 of whom emigrated to the United States under Gutenberg's sponsorship.
Gutenberg, especially in his collaboration with Charles Francis Richter
, made the Caltech Seismological Laboratory the leading seismological institute worldwide. Collaborating with Richter, Gutenberg developed a relationship between seismic magnitude and energy, represented in the equation
.
This gives the energy
given from earthquakes from seismic waves in erg
s. Another famous result known as Gutenberg-Richter law
provides probability distribution
of earthquake
s for given energy
.
He also worked on determining the depth of the core-mantle boundary as well as other properties of the interior of the earth
.
In 1952, Gutenberg received the Prix Charles Lagrange from the Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. http://www.agu.org/inside/awards/gutenberg.html Gutenberg remained director of the Seismological Laboratory until 1957, when he was succeeded by Frank Press
.
Charles Francis Richter
Charles Francis Richter , was an American seismologist and physicist. Richter is most famous as the creator of the Richter magnitude scale which, until the development of the moment magnitude scale in 1979, quantified the size of earthquakes...
at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
and Richter's collaborator in developing the Richter magnitude scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
for measuring an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
's magnitude.
Gutenberg was born in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and obtained his doctorate in physics from the University of Göttingen in 1911. His advisor was Emil Wiechert
Emil Wiechert
Emil Johann Wiechert was a German geophysicist who presented the first verifiable model of a layered structure of the Earth.-Life:...
. During the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Gutenberg served in the German army as a meteorologist in support of gas warfare operations
Poison gas in World War I
The use of chemical weapons in World War I ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The killing capacity of...
. Gutenberg held positions at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
which he lost when Strasbourg became French in 1918.
After some years where he had to sustain himself with managing his father's soap factory, he obtained in 1926 a junior professorship at University of Frankfurt-am-Main, which was poorly paid.
Although he was already, in the 1920s, one of the leading seismologists worldwide and definitely the leading seismologist in Germany, he was then still dependent on the position in his father's factory, yet he continued his research in his spare time. In 1928, the attempt to become the successor of his academic teacher Emil Wiechert in Göttingen failed. There are hints that Gutenberg's Jewish background might have played a role because, already in the 1920s, there were strong antisemitic tendencies in German universities. For similar reasons, he was also not accepted for a professorship in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
to become the successor of Gustav Angenheister.
Since Gutenberg could not sustain a career of scientific work in Germany, he accepted a position as Professor of Geophysics at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in Pasadena in 1930, becoming founding director of the Seismological Laboratory
Caltech Seismological Laboratory
The Caltech Seismological Laboratory is an arm of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences of the California Institute of Technology. Known as the Seismo Lab, it has been a world center for seismology research since the 1920s, and was for many decades a go-to source for rapid commentary...
when it was transferred to Caltech from Carnegie
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
. Even if he had obtained a full professorship in Germany, he would have lost it in 1933 anyway, like so many other scientists of Jewish ancestry, at least 30 of whom emigrated to the United States under Gutenberg's sponsorship.
Gutenberg, especially in his collaboration with Charles Francis Richter
Charles Francis Richter
Charles Francis Richter , was an American seismologist and physicist. Richter is most famous as the creator of the Richter magnitude scale which, until the development of the moment magnitude scale in 1979, quantified the size of earthquakes...
, made the Caltech Seismological Laboratory the leading seismological institute worldwide. Collaborating with Richter, Gutenberg developed a relationship between seismic magnitude and energy, represented in the equation
.This gives the energy
given from earthquakes from seismic waves in ergErg
An erg is the unit of energy and mechanical work in the centimetre-gram-second system of units, symbol "erg". Its name is derived from the Greek ergon, meaning "work"....
s. Another famous result known as Gutenberg-Richter law
Gutenberg-Richter law
In seismology, the Gutenberg–Richter law expresses the relationship between the magnitude and total number of earthquakes in any given region and time period of at least that magnitude.orWhere:...
provides probability distribution
Probability distribution
In probability theory, a probability mass, probability density, or probability distribution is a function that describes the probability of a random variable taking certain values....
of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s for given energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
.
He also worked on determining the depth of the core-mantle boundary as well as other properties of the interior of the earth
Structure of the Earth
The interior structure of the Earth, similar to the outer, is layered. These layers can be defined by either their chemical or their rheological properties. The Earth has an outer silicate solid crust, a highly viscous mantle, a liquid outer core that is much less viscous than the mantle, and a...
.
In 1952, Gutenberg received the Prix Charles Lagrange from the Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. http://www.agu.org/inside/awards/gutenberg.html Gutenberg remained director of the Seismological Laboratory until 1957, when he was succeeded by Frank Press
Frank Press
Frank Press is an American geophysicist.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Press was science advisor to President Jimmy Carter from1976 to 1980,and president of the U.S. NationalAcademy of Sciences from 1981 to 1993...
.
External links
- Biography at the American Geophysical Union website
- Biography at the European Geosciences Union website
- Leon Knopoff on Gutenberg, National Academy of Science
- Hertha Gutenberg Oral History, Caltech Archives
- Biography of Beno Gutenberg by Leon Knopoff at Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 76 (1999)