Leo Picard
Encyclopedia
Leo Picard, also known as Yehudah Leo Picard , was an Israel
i geologist
and an expert in the field of hydrology
.
in 1900, and studied at universities in Freiberg
and Berlin
, in Germany, and in Paris
and London
, and taught at the University of Florence
, Italy
.
Picard visited Mandate Palestine in 1922 and emigrated there in 1924, where he established the Department of Geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. In 1943, he published his book "Structure and Evolution of Palestine", which become a primary book for the study of geology in Israel.
Leo Picard was an expert hydrogeologist and an outstanding general geologist. He wrote about paleontology and stratigraphy, structural geology and tectonics, mineralogy and ore deposits. Well-known is his contribution to the debate on the tectonics of the Dead Sea Rift. Picard was doubtful whether left-lateral offset of some 100 km took place along the Rift, and suggested instead that the rift was developed and constrained by extension.
In 1955, he was appointed president of the UNESCO
committee of experts for arid areas. Following such appointment, he became an international consultant, and his investigations have assisted the development of many countries in Africa and Latin America.
He died in 1997 in Kibbutz Ginegar
in northern Israel.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and an expert in the field of hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
.
Biography
Picard was born in GermanyGermany
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...
in 1900, and studied at universities in Freiberg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
and Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
, in Germany, and in Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and taught at the University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Picard visited Mandate Palestine in 1922 and emigrated there in 1924, where he established the Department of Geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. In 1943, he published his book "Structure and Evolution of Palestine", which become a primary book for the study of geology in Israel.
Leo Picard was an expert hydrogeologist and an outstanding general geologist. He wrote about paleontology and stratigraphy, structural geology and tectonics, mineralogy and ore deposits. Well-known is his contribution to the debate on the tectonics of the Dead Sea Rift. Picard was doubtful whether left-lateral offset of some 100 km took place along the Rift, and suggested instead that the rift was developed and constrained by extension.
In 1955, he was appointed president of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
committee of experts for arid areas. Following such appointment, he became an international consultant, and his investigations have assisted the development of many countries in Africa and Latin America.
He died in 1997 in Kibbutz Ginegar
Ginegar
Ginegar ,is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located near Migdal HaEmek, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 481.-History:...
in northern Israel.
Awards and honours
- From 1951 to 1953, Picard served as the first president of the Israel Geological Society.
- In 1958, he was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, in life sciencesLife sciencesThe life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
. - In 1981, he received the award of Yakir YerushalayimYakir YerushalayimYakir Yerushalayim is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, Israel, inaugurated in 1967.The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to one or more residents of the city who have contributed to the cultural and educational life of the city in some outstanding way....
(Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) from the city of Jerusalem. - A street has been named after him in the Har HomaHar HomaHar Homa is a neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem, near Beit Sahour. Built on land annexed to the Jerusalem municipality by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War, it is considered by much of the world an illegal Israeli settlement, although Israel disputes this.The neighborhood was officially...
neighbourhood of Jerusalem. - The Leo Picard Groundwater Research Center at the RehovotRehovotRehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is name after him.
Works in English, French and German
- 1923, Die fraenkische Alb von Weissenburg i. B. und Umgebung
- 1928, Ein Eocaenprofil des Gilboas in Palaestina
- 1928, Zur Geologie der Kischon-Ebene
- 1929, Zur Geologie der Besan-Ebene
- 1930, Upper Cretaceous (chiefly Campanian and Maestrichtian) Gasteropoda and Pelecypoda from Palestine
- 1931, Geological researches in the Judean desert : with geological map and illustrations
- 1932, Zur geologie des mittleren Jordantales :(zwischen Wadi El-Oeschsche und Tiberiassee)
- 1933, Zur postmiocänen Entwicklungsgeschichte der Kontinentalbecken Nord-Palästinas
- 1936, Conditions of underground water in the Western Emek (plain of Esdraelon)
- 1936, On the geology of the Gaza-Beersheba district
- 1937, On the structure of the Arabian Peninsula
- 1937, On the geology of the central coastal plain : with a geological sketch map and 7 figures in the text
- 1938, The geology of New Jerusalem
- 1939, Outline on the tectonics of the earth :with special emphasis upon Africa
- 1940, Groundwater in Palestine
- 1943, Structure and evolution of Palestine, with comparative notes on neighbouring countries
- 1952, Geomorphogenic regions of the Negev, 1:250,000
- 1952, Geomorphogeny of Israel
- 1954, The structural pattern of Palestine, Israel and Jordan
- 1962, Rapport d’une mission d’etude geologique au Dahomey
- 1963, The quaternary in the Northern Jordan Valley
- 1964, Geological map, Israel
- 1965, The geological evolution of the quaternary in the central-northern Jordan Graben, Israel
- 1966, Vom Bodensee nach Erez Israel : Pionierarbeit fur Geologie und Grundwasser seit 1924
- 1966, Stratigraphic position of the Ubeidiya formation
- 1966, Geological report on the lower Pleistonecene deposits of the Ubeidiya excavations
- 1968, On the structure of the Rhinegraben with comparative notes on Levantgraben feature
- 1973, General aspects of Israel’s oil search
- 1974, The Triassic
- 1987, The Jurassic stratigraphy in Israel and the adjacent countries
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients