Walter Alvarez Biography
Walter Alvarez is an American professor in the Earth and Planetary Science department at the University of California, Berkeley. Walter is widely known for the theory that dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid impact. He developed this theory in collaboration with his father, Luis Alvarez, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
Walter Alvarez Age | When was Walter Alvarez born?
Walter Alvarez is 78 years old as of 2018. He was born on October 3, 1940 in Berkeley, California, USA.
Walter Alvarez Family
Walter was born in a family of physicists with his father being Luis Walter Alvarez, a Nobel prize-winner in physics. His grandfather was also a famous physics researcher by the name Walter C. Alvarez. Walter’s great-grandfather was Luis F. Alvarez, a doctor who worked in Hawaii and was born in Spain. He developed a method for the better diagnosis of macular leprosy. Walter’s mother was his father’s first wife, Geraldine Smithwick.
Walter Alvarez Education
In 1962, Alvarez graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota with a B.A. in geology. In 1967 he earned his Ph.D. in geology from Princeton University.
Walter Alvarez Wife – Married
Walter is married to Milly Alvarez since 1963. Nothing much is known of his own family.
Walter Alvarez Career
After finishing his university education, Alvarez worked for American Overseas Petroleum Limited in the Netherlands, as well as in Libya at the time of Colonel Gadaffi’s revolution. At the time, he developed a side interest in archaeological geology. This led him to quit his job with the oil company and he spent his time studying the Roman volcanics and their influence on patterns of settlement in early Roman times in Italy.
He then moved to Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University and began studying the Mediterranean tectonics in the light of the new theory of plate tectonics. His work on tectonic paleomagnetism in Italy led to a study of the geomagnetic reversals recorded in Italian deep-sea limestones. He and his colleagues were able to date the reversals for an interval of more than 100 million years of the Earth’s history by using Foraminifera biostratigraphy.
Walter Alvarez Big History
Walter has also worked as a professor at UC Berkeley. In 2006, he began teaching a course in Big History under the title “Big History: Cosmos, Earth, Life, Humanity.” The course is freely available online since 2011 when he last taught it and it was videotaped. It seeks to provide a broad understanding of the past, present and future and is open to all majors and grade levels.
According to Alvarez, Big History is the “attempt to understand, in a unified and interdisciplinary way, the history of the Cosmos, Earth, Life, and Humanity.” The definition was adopted by the International Big History Association (IBHA).
Walter Alvarez Books
» 2016 – A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of our Planet and Ourselves
» 2008 – The Mountains of Saint Francis: The Geologic Events that Shaped Our Earth
» 1997 – T. Rex and the Crater of Doom
Walter Alvarez Awards and Honors
♦ 2013 – Barringer Medal
♦ 2008 – Vetlesen Prize
♦ 2006 – Nevada Medal
♦ 2005 – He received the doctorate “Honoris Causa” in Geological Sciences from the University of Siena, Italy.
♦ 2002 – Penrose Medal from the Geological Society of America
♦ 1991 – Elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences
♦ 1985 – G. K. Gilbert Award
♦ 1983 – Elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Walter Alvarez Net Worth
Walter’s exact net worth has not been documented hence it is not known.
Walter Alvarez Quotes
♦ We have very strong physical and chemical evidence for a large impact; this is the most firmly established part of the whole story. There is an unquestionable mass extinction at this time, and in the fossil groups for which we have the best record, the extinction coincides with the impact to a precision of a centimeter or better in the stratigraphic record. This exact coincidence in timing strongly argues for a causal relationship.
♦ Much of the work we do as scientists involves filling in the details about matters that are basically understood already, or applying standard techniques to new specific cases. But occasionally there is a question that offers an opportunity for a really major discovery.
Walter Alvarez Lecture on Big History
About InformationCradle Editorial Staff
This Article is produced by InformationCradle Editorial Staff which is a team of expert writers and editors led by Josphat Gachie and trusted by millions of readers worldwide.
We endeavor to keep our content True, Accurate, Correct, Original and Up to Date. For complain, correction or an update, please send us an email to informationcradle@gmail.com. We promise to take corrective measures to the best of our abilities.
