W. Jason Morgan was a geologist whose discoveries in plate tectonics helped revolutionize our understanding of the Earth.
- Died: July 31, 2023 (Who else died on July 31?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Natick, Massachusetts, at the age of 87.
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W. Jason Morgan’s legacy
Morgan did his geological research as a professor at Princeton University, where he taught for many years after receiving his PhD there in 1964. His best-known contribution to science came in 1967, when he presented new findings at a conference, detailing how what he called “crustal blocks” moved around over time. He further developed these concepts in a 1968 paper, published shortly after other geologists’ papers on similar findings. Morgan’s crustal blocks came to be known as tectonic plates, and the scientific community soon accepted his theory that the movement of those plates changes the face of the Earth and causes volcanic and seismic activity. His map of the tectonic plates is considered their first accurate representation.
Morgan later focused on explaining how some volcanoes arise not at the edges of plates but in the middle of them. He suggested an explanation for the phenomenon that he called mantle plumes, in which superhot material from the Earth’s core bubbles up to form a “hot spot” in the crust.
Morgan was widely honored for his work, including receiving the National Medal of Science in 2002, presented by President George W. Bush. He was also a U.S. Navy veteran.
Tributes to W. Jason Morgan
Full obituary: The Washington Post
