Xavier Le Pichon (French pronunciation:[ɡzavjeləpiʃɔ̃]; 18 June 1937 – 22 March 2025) was a Frenchgeophysicist.^[1] Among many other contributions, he was known for his comprehensive model ofplate tectonics (1968), helping create the field of plate tectonics. In 1968, he combined the kinematic ideas ofW. J. Morgan,D. McKenzie and R. L. Parker with the large data sets collected by Lamont, and especially with the respective magnetic profiles, show that Plate Tectonics could accurately describe the evolution of the major ocean basins. He was a professor at theCollège de France, holder of the Chair of Geodynamics (1986–2008).^[1] He was a lifelong fervent Catholic and came to think of caring attention to others' weaknesses as an essential quality that allowed humanity to evolve.^[2] He lived with his wife and had six children and eleven grandchildren. He died inSisteron on 22 March 2025, at the age of 87.^[3][4]

Le Pichon held a doctorate inphysics. Professional career:^[1]

• 1963: He began his scientific career as a scientific assistant atColumbia University,New York,United States.
• In 1969, he became head of the marine geology department of the oceanology center ofBrittany inBrest, France.
• In 1978, he became professor atUniversité P. et M. Curie (University of Paris VI).
• In 1984, he was head of the geology department at theÉcole Normale Supérieure.
• In 1986, he became a professor at the Collège de France.

• In 1973, he won theCNRS Silver Medal.
• 1984:Maurice Ewing Medal from theAmerican Geophysical Union
• 1985: member of theFrench Academy of Sciences; made knight of theLegion of Honour
• 1990:Japan Prize;^[5] made officer of theNational Order of Merit
• 1991:Wollaston Medal,Geological Society of London^[6]
• 1995: foreign associate of theUnited States National Academy of Sciences
• 2002:Balzan Prize^[7]

• Riffaud, Claude; Le Pichon, Xavier (1976).Expédition 'Famous' à 3000 m sous l'Atlantique. Paris: Albin Michel.
• Le Pichon, Xavier (1986).Kaiko, voyage aux extrémités de la mer. Le Seuil: Odile Jacob.ISBN 978-2020092333.
• Yijie, Tang; Le Pichon, Xavier (1999).La mort. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer.ISBN 978-2220044026.
• Le Pichon, Xavier; Francheteau, Jean; Bonnin, Jean (2013).Plate Tectonics (revised ed.). Elsevier.ISBN 9781483257273.

• Xavier Le Pichon atIMDb
• "Xavier Le Pichon. Géodynamique".Collège de France (in French). 11 April 2022. Retrieved15 April 2025.
• "Xavier Le Pichon. Biographie et publications".Collège de France (in French). Retrieved15 April 2025.
• Interview with Le Pichon,"Fragility and the Evolution of our Humanity" –Speaking of Faith (25 June 2009)
• Xavier Le Pichon International Balzan Prize Foundation

Thisgeophysics-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information.

• v
• t
• e

• 1937 births
• 2025 deaths
• Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
• French geophysicists
• Members of the French Academy of Sciences
• Wollaston Medal winners
• People from Bình Định province
• Academic staff of the Collège de France
• Academic staff of the École normale supérieure (Paris)
• Columbia University faculty
• French Roman Catholics
• Marine geophysicists
• Geophysics stubs

• Articles with Italian-language sources (it)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from May 2016
• Articles with hCards
• Pages with French IPA
• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• All stub articles