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George G. Shor | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Gershon Shor Jr. June 8, 1923 |
| Died | July 3, 2009 (aged 86)[1] La Jolla, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | USA |
| Alma mater | California Institute of Technology (BS,MS,PhD) |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geophysics |
| Doctoral advisor | Charles Richter[1] |
George Gershon Shor Jr. (June 8, 1923, New York City, New York[2] – July 3, 2009, La Jolla, California.[1] ) was an American geophysicist.[1] His entire career was at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. He began his career working with the Mohole Project, an ambitious project that attempted to drill to the Mohorovičić discontinuity from deep-ocean regions.[3]
Early life and education
Shor was born in New York City on June 8, 1923.[2] After receiving his degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1944, Shor joined the United States Naval Reserve and served in World War II as an electronics officer and communications officer. He remained with the Naval Reserve until he retired with the rank of commander in 1983. Shor returned to Caltech in 1946 to obtain a master's degree in geophysics in 1948. After a few years working at oil exploration in Texas, Shor returned again to Caltech in 1951 for his doctoral work in seismology and geology under Charles Richter, obtaining his degree in 1954.[1] Shor's doctoral work employed explosive shots to make measurements of the Mohorovicic discontinuity, the boundary layer between the earth's crust and mantle.
Shor began work as an assistant research geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps) in 1953.
Career at Scripps
Work with Russell Raitt
At Scripps Shor's initial mentor and collaborator was Russell Raitt at the Marine Physical Laboratory.[4] Their research established facts about sea floor geophysics that were the precursors to the theory of plate tectonics.[3][5]
Project Mohole
Project Mohole was led by a group of scientists called the American Miscellaneous Society with funding from the National Science Foundation.[6] The group included Walter Munk and Roger Revelle at Scripps. The aim of the project was to obtain a sample of the Mohorovičić discontinuity (Moho) by drilling from a deep-ocean region. Below continents the discontinuity is too deep to be reached by drilling, but below deep-ocean regions it is shallower. Nevertheless, deep-ocean drilling had never before been successful, and the project would have to drill an additional 3-6 miles below the sea floor to reach the Moho. After the project won an initial grant for exploratory study in 1958, Shor became involved because of his recent work on seismic measurements of the Moho discontinuity.[7] Indeed, he was able to suggest the first suitable drilling site near Guadalupe Island, Mexico.[7] The project suffered from political and scientific opposition, mismanagement, and cost overruns. The U.S. House of Representatives defunded it in 1966.[8]
California Sea Grant Program
Shor helped to establish the California Sea Grant program in the 1960s, headquartered at Scripps.[1] The program, which supported a great many studies on marine subjects within California, involved a number of California universities. Shor served as its manager from 1969 to 1973.
UNOLS - The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System
From 1968 to 1991, Shor was associate director of Scripps for coordinating the activities of Scripps’ research fleet, scheduling voyages and allocating resources.[3] He also helped create and served on the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), which coordinates operations of research ships throughout the world.[2]
Personal life
Shor was married to Scripps historian Elizabeth (Betty) Noble Shor for 59 years. They had two sons.[2]
He retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve with the rank of commander in 1983.[2]
Shor retired from Scripps in 1991, and he developed an interest in bamboo as a structural material for flooring, furniture and other applications. He was an active member of the American Bamboo Society for many years.[2]
Shor died on July 3, 2009 at his home in La Jolla, California from complications following several strokes.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Obituary Notice: Renowned Geophysicist: George G. Shor, Jr". Scripps Institution of Oceanography. July 4, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Maugh II, Thomas H. (September 29, 2014). "George Shor Jr. dies at 86; Scripps geophysicist studied the ocean floor". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ristine, Jeff (July 17, 2009). "George G. Shor Jr.; former geophysicist key to Scripps seafloor study". The San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ Shor, Elizabeth Noble (1978). Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Probing the Oceans 1936 to 1976. San Diego, California: Tofua Press.
- ^ Raitt, R. W.; G. G. Shor Jr.; T. J. G. Francis; G. B. Morris (1969). "Anisotropy of the Pacific upper mantle". J. Geophys. Res. 74: 3095–3109. doi:10.1029/JB074i012p03095.
- ^ von Storch, Hans; Klaus Hasselmann (2010). Seventy Years of Exploration in Oceanography: A Prolonged Weekend Discussion with Walter Munk. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-12087-9. ISBN 978-3-642-12086-2.
- ^ a b An Interview with Dr. George and Betty Shor Dr. David K. van Keuren, History Office, Naval Research Laboratory, 16 March 1995, 55 pp. Access date 26 June 2019.
- ^ Mohole, LOCO, CORE, and JOIDES: A brief chronology Betty Shor, The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, August 1978, 7 pp. Access date 25 June 2019.
External links
- George G. Shor Papers, Online Archive of California
- Making and Chasing Echoes: The Marine Physical Laboratory; Marine Geophysics UC Press E-Books Collection, 1982-2004