Erskine Douglas Williamson

Erskine Douglas Williamson[1] (born 10 April 1886 in Edinburgh – 25 December 1923) was a Scottish geophysicist.[2]

Erskine Douglas Williamson
Erskine Williamson
Born(1886-04-10)10 April 1886
Scotland
Died25 December 1923(1923-12-25) (aged 37)
Washington, D.C.
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
Known forAdams–Williamson equation
SpouseAlice Boorman
Scientific career
FieldsGeophysics
InstitutionsGeophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Life

Following degrees from the University of Edinburgh and a period on a Research Scholarship from the Carnegie Trust of Scotland, he was hired in 1914 by the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution in Washington DC, USA. In the nine years till his early death in 1923, he became known for experimental studies and theoretical calculations in high-pressure physics, physical chemistry, petrology, glass science and geodynamics. Shortly before his death, he published with Leason H. Adams what is regarded as one of the most important contributions to geophysics in the first half of the 20th century. The famous Adams–Williamson equation[3] derived in that paper laid the theoretical foundations for determining the interior structure of the Earth from seismic velocities, and remains widely known and used to this day.[3][4]

Erskine Williamson Building at the University of Edinburgh

References
  1. "Erskine Douglas Williamson". University of Edinburgh. Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  2. Adams, L. H. (February 1924). "Erskine Douglas Williamson". Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 16 (2): 183. doi:10.1021/ie50170a038.
  3. Hemley, Russell J. (2006). "Erskine Williamson, extreme conditions, and the birth of mineral physics". Physics Today. 59 (4): 50–56. doi:10.1063/1.2207038.
  4. Hemley, Russell J. "The Legacy of Erskine Douglas Williamson" (pfd). Geophysical Laboratory. Carnegie Institution Washington, DC. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
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