| RefNo | EC/1979/18 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XX, 151 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Irving, Edward: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1978 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Distinguished for his applications of palaeomagnetism to geological problems especially continental drift. Irving has studied the remanent magnetization of many geological formations in three continents. He obtained one of the first polar wandering curves (for Australia). Irving was one of the first to show that the palaeomagnetic pole positions from different continents were in systematic disagreement but that within each continent the palaeomagnetic latitudes correlated with those inferred from palaeoclimatic data. He concluded that palaeomagnetic data gave the first quantitative evidence for the occurrence of continental drift and has shown how various continental reconstructions can be tested. Irving's study of the Torridonian sandstones first demonstrated the value of field tests of the stability of the magnetization of rocks. He has pioneered applications of palaeomagnetism to tectonic problems. His book "Palaeomagnetism" was the first complete survey of the field. In recent years he has been most active in unravelling the complex problems of Pre-Cambrian palaeomagnetism and has obtained a most interesting polar wandering curve for the Canadian Shield. He was also the first to study the magnetic properties of rocks dredged from the mid-Atlantic ridge. Irving's work has been characterized by thoroughness in experimental and statistical methods and a keen understanding of the importance of stratigraphic considerations. A list of publications is appended. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA3906 | Irving; Edward (1927 - 2014) | 1927 - 2014 |