W. Gary Ernst (born December 14, 1931) is an American geologist specializing in

petrology Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly taught together ...

and geochemistry. He currently is the Benjamin M. Page Professor Emeritus in

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

's Department of Geological Sciences. Ernst was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He received a B.A. degree in Geology from

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

in 1953, an M.S. in Geology from the University of Minnesota of 1955, and a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 1959. From 1960 to 1989 he was a professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at UCLA, where he also served terms as chair of the Department of Geology, chair of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and director of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. In 1989 he joined Stanford University as professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and Dean of the School of Earth Sciences. He retired in 2004, but has continued to be active professionally. Ernst's research interests have included the petrology, geochemistry, and plate tectonics of Circumpacific and Alpine mobile belts; ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in Eurasia; geology of the California Coast Ranges, the central Klamath Mountains, and White-Inyo Range; geobotany and remote sensing of the southwestern United States; and

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

and human health.

Honors and awards

Ernst has been a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

since 1975. He has served as a trustee of the Carnegie Institution of Washington since 1990. He was the 2004 recipient of the Penrose Medal of the Geological Society of America, 2006 recipient of the Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America, and 2008 recipient of the Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal. Other honors include selection as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Member of the American Philosophical Society. He was president of the Geological Society of America in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst, W. G. 1931 births Living people Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American geochemists Carleton College alumni University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni Penrose Medal winners Stanford University faculty University of California, Los Angeles faculty Presidents of the Geological Society of America Scientists from St. Louis Members of the American Philosophical Society