Dziewonski Wins Crafoord Prize

By William J. Cromie

Gazette Staff

Earthquake expert Adam Dziewonski was shaken this week by news that he won the prestigious Crafoord Prize. It is given by the Swedish Academy of Sciences for achievements in areas not covered by Nobel Prizes, which the Academy also awards.

"It was completely unexpected," the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science said in a telephone conversation. "I have nothing more profound to say than that I am surprised and elated to win the highest award that an earth scientist can win."

Dziewonski shares the $500,000 prize with Don Anderson of the California Institute of Technology. Both were selected for their pioneering work on mapping the interior of Earth.

"In addition to the personal recognition, I hope the prize will bring more attention to the field I have worked in for the last 30 years, mapping and better understanding the deep interior of our planet," Dziewonski said.

He pioneered a technique to use shock waves from earthquakes the way physicians use x-ray CAT scans to obtain three-dimensional views of organs inside the human body. A computer combines series of two-dimensional images, captured by the shock waves, to produce three-dimensional pictures of rock layers extending as far as the center of Earth.

"At first, everyone doubted it could be done," Dziewonski said in a previous interview. "However, as a worldwide network of earthquake detection instruments was put in place, more and smaller details of Earth's interior have become 'visible.' "

For example, analysis by Dziewonski and his collaborators of shock waves from a large earthquake in Alaska in 1964 led to the discovery that Earth's solid iron core rotates faster than the planet's surface. Such research has also unearthed new understanding of continental drift and volcanism.

The Crafoord Prize is awarded to scientists in different fields on a rotating basis. Last year, it was given in astronomy. In 1990, biologist Edward O. Wilson won it for his work in promoting the preservation of animal and plant diversity.

Crafoord Prize winners are treated like Nobelists. Dziewonski and Anderson will travel to Stockholm in the fall to receive their award from the King of Sweden.