Osmond Fisher
Encyclopedia
Reverend Osmond Fisher (17 November 1817, Osmington, Dorset, England
– 12 July 1914, Huntingdon, England
) was an English geologist and geophysicist.
Fisher worked on the geomorphology of Norfolk
, as well as the stratigraphy and invertebrate fossils of Dorset
. He had published The Physics of the Earth’s Crust (1881), in which he described the mechanism of plate tectonics through a convection current in the Earth's molten interior. This was the most prominent work on the topic since Alexander von Humboldt
, however it went largely ignored until the work of Alfred Wegener
. Much of his work into continental drift went ridiculed, while other geologists of the time clung to their Solid State Theory. However his observations were all based on careful scientific deductions rather than simple speculation. He also published theories on the moon
, proposing that the Pacific Ocean was the mark left where the moon split from the earth. However the Pacific Ocean is both chemically dissimilar and much younger than the moon. He was also the author of the first geophysics textbook. He was the recipient of the Murchison Medal
in 1893 and the Wollaston Medal
in 1913.
Osmington
Osmington is a village and civil parish in the District of West Dorset within Dorset, England, situated on the Jurassic Coast northeast of Weymouth. The village has a population of 609.To the east is Osmington Hill.-History:...
– 12 July 1914, Huntingdon, England
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
) was an English geologist and geophysicist.
Fisher worked on the geomorphology of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, as well as the stratigraphy and invertebrate fossils of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. He had published The Physics of the Earth’s Crust (1881), in which he described the mechanism of plate tectonics through a convection current in the Earth's molten interior. This was the most prominent work on the topic since Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
, however it went largely ignored until the work of Alfred Wegener
Alfred Wegener
Alfred Lothar Wegener was a German scientist, geophysicist, and meteorologist.He is most notable for his theory of continental drift , proposed in 1912, which hypothesized that the continents were slowly drifting around the Earth...
. Much of his work into continental drift went ridiculed, while other geologists of the time clung to their Solid State Theory. However his observations were all based on careful scientific deductions rather than simple speculation. He also published theories on the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, proposing that the Pacific Ocean was the mark left where the moon split from the earth. However the Pacific Ocean is both chemically dissimilar and much younger than the moon. He was also the author of the first geophysics textbook. He was the recipient of the Murchison Medal
Murchison Medal
An award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. One of the closing public acts of Murchison’s life was the founding of a chair of geology and mineralogy in the University of Edinburgh. Under his will there was established the Murchison Medal and geological fund to be awarded annually...
in 1893 and the Wollaston Medal
Wollaston Medal
The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London.The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831...
in 1913.