| Citation | Bernard Wood is a distinguished geochemist who has made substantial contributions to understanding the dynamics and structure of the earth, principally through experimental studies and theory. In metamorphic petrology these range from development of the first accurate methods for geothermobarometry to the quantification of reaction rate and mechanism to the determination of fluid properties at extreme pressure. His work on the structure of the earth demonstrated how seismological, phase equilibrium and elastic properties may be integrated to test compositional models of the mantle and core and established mechanisms to explain lateral variations in reflectivity of the seismic discontinuities. A new model, based on elastic strain energy, has enabled quantification of trace element partitioning between crystals and silicate melts. This enables dramatically improved modeling of igneous processes. Professor Wood has received the Mineralogical Society of America Award (1984), the Schlumberger Medal of the Mineralogical Society (1991), the Murchison Medal of the Geological Society (1997) and the Arthur Holmes Medal of the European Union of Geosciences (1997). He has a strong claim to be regarded as the outstanding experimental geochemist of his generation. |