William Dickinson
Encyclopedia
William R. Dickinson is a professor emeritus of geoscience at the University of Arizona
and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
. Prior joining the University of Arizona, Dickinson was a professor at Stanford University
. He joined the UofA faculty in 1979.
Dickinson is renowned for his work in plate tectonics
, sedimentary geology and Pacific Oceana
geology
and is considered one of the foremost experts on the geology of the Colorado Plateau
. Dickinson is one of the founders of the Gazzi-Dickinson Method
and its primary application, QFL diagrams and their use in sandstone
provenance
.
Dickinson's research includes studying the potsherds
(historic or prehistoric fragments of pottery) of Pacific Oceana. Over the years, he has visited hundreds of Pacific Islands collecting and dating sherds.
As of 2007, he resides in Tucson, Arizona
, where he continues to do research and teach at the University of Arizona.
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. Prior joining the University of Arizona, Dickinson was a professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He joined the UofA faculty in 1979.
Dickinson is renowned for his work in plate tectonics
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere...
, sedimentary geology and Pacific Oceana
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and is considered one of the foremost experts on the geology of the Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
. Dickinson is one of the founders of the Gazzi-Dickinson Method
Gazzi-Dickinson Method
The Gazzi-Dickinson method is a point-counting technique used in geology to statistically measure the components of a sedimentary rock, chiefly sandstone. The main focus part of the technique is counting all sand-sized components as separate grains, regardless of what they are connected to...
and its primary application, QFL diagrams and their use in sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
provenance
Provenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
.
Dickinson's research includes studying the potsherds
Sherd
In archaeology, a sherd is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels as well....
(historic or prehistoric fragments of pottery) of Pacific Oceana. Over the years, he has visited hundreds of Pacific Islands collecting and dating sherds.
As of 2007, he resides in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where he continues to do research and teach at the University of Arizona.
Awards
- 1991, awarded the Penrose MedalPenrose MedalThe Penrose Medal was created in 1927 by R.A.F. Penrose, Jr. as the top prize awarded by the Geological Society of America to those who advance the study of geoscience.-Award winners:* 2011 Paul F. Hoffman* 2010 Eric J. Essene* 2009 B. Clark Burchfiel...
by the Geological Society of AmericaGeological Society of AmericaThe Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose... - 2001, awarded the William H. Twenhofel MedalWilliam H. Twenhofel MedalThe William H. Twenhofel Medal is the highest award given by the Society for Sedimentary Geology . It is awarded annually to a person for his or her "Outstanding Contributions to Sedimentary Geology."...
by the Society for Sedimentary GeologySociety for Sedimentary GeologyThe Society for Sedimentary Geology is an international not-for-profit, scientific society based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is commonly referred to by its acronym SEPM, which refers to its former name, the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists.The Society’s reason for being is to...