Walter Hermann Bucher | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1888-03-12)12 March 1888 Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Died | 17 February 1965(1965-02-17) (aged 76) Houston, Texas, USA |
| Known for | Theory of the Earth's pulsation |
| Awards |
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| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Heidelberg |
| Thesis | (1911) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Geology |
| Institutions | Columbia University,University of Cincinnati (United States) |
| Notable students | Arthur K. Gilkey |
Walter Hermann Bucher (March 12, 1888 – February 17, 1965) was aGerman-Americangeologist andpaleontologist.
He was born inAkron, Ohio, toSwiss-German parents. The family then returned to Germany, where he was raised.
In 1911 he was awarded aPh.D. by theUniversity of Heidelberg with a focus on geology and paleontology. The same year he returned to theU.S. and joined theUniversity of Cincinnati as a lecturer. By 1924 he was a professor of geology at the institution.
His early works were onpaleontology, and he performed studies ofstromatolettia,oolites, andripple-shaped markings. Later he concentrated on theEarth's crustdiastrophism problem and proposed firstly (immediate and independent[clarification needed] withMikhail Tetyaev) the pulsation hypothesis of theEarth developing.[1]
In 1935 he became president of the Ohio Academy of Sciences. In 1940 he joined theColumbia University, specializing instructural geology. It is thought that at this time he worked as a consultant on the Manhattan Project, hypothesizing how the detonation of the atomic bomb could affect the Earth's crust. In the same year he joined theNational Research Council, as a consultant as chairman of the Division of Geology and Geography. In 1946 he was elected president of the New York Academy of Sciences, and from 1950 until 1953 he served as president of theAmerican Geophysical Union. He was also president of theGeological Society of America (1955) and received their Penrose Medal in 1960.[2]
From 1920 onward, Bucher was noted for his studies in cryptovolcanic structures, significant deformations of the crust of the Earth, and structural geology.
He died inHouston, Texas.
