Joseph L. Kirschvink (born 1953) is an American geologist and geophysicist. He is the Nico and Marilyn Van Wingen Professor of Geobiology at Caltech, known for contributions to

paleomagnetism Paleomagnetism (or palaeomagnetismsee ), is the study of magnetic fields recorded in rocks, sediment, or archeological materials. Geophysicists who specialize in paleomagnetism are called ''paleomagnetists.'' Certain magnetic minerals in rock ...

and

biomagnetism Biomagnetism is the phenomenon of magnetic fields ''produced'' by living organisms; it is a subset of bioelectromagnetism. In contrast, organisms' use of magnetism in navigation is magnetoception and the study of the magnetic fields' ''effects'' on ...

(discovery of the first

magnetofossil Magnetofossils are the fossil remains of magnetic particles produced by magnetotactic bacteria (magnetobacteria) and preserved in the geologic record. The oldest definitive magnetofossils formed of the mineral magnetite come from the Cretaceous ch ...

s) and the

Snowball Earth The Snowball Earth hypothesis proposes that, during one or more of Earth's Greenhouse and icehouse Earth, icehouse Climate, climates, the Earth's surface, planet's surface became entirely or nearly entirely Freezing, frozen. It is believed that ...

hypothesis. He is also Principal Investigator (PI) of

Earth–Life Science Institute Earth–Life Science Institute (ELSI) is an established independent permanent scientific research institute based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. ELSI employs more than 70 scientists in disciplines ranging from astrophysics to biol ...

Biography

In 1988, Kirschvink was recognized as a "Rising Star" in Southern California by the '' Los Angeles Times''. In 2021, Caltech settled with the Department of the Interior to pay $25,465 for damages to petroglyph sites in Volcanic Tablelands after they were damaged by Dr. Kirschvink on Earth Day 2017.

References

American geophysicists Paleomagnetism California Institute of Technology faculty 1953 births Living people {{US-geologist-stub

Biography

See also

References