Victor A. Gostin (born 1940) is an Australian

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

, who discovered in the

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabit ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, a deposit of volcanic material that was

ejected Ejection or Eject may refer to: * Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game * Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series * "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Sense ...

from the 300-kilometre distant

Acraman crater Acraman crater is a deeply eroded impact crater in the Gawler Ranges of South Australia. Its location is marked by Lake Acraman, a circular ephemeral playa lake about in diameter. The discovery of the crater and independent discovery of its ej ...

when the

impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...

was created by a meteorite some 580 million years ago. He is an associate professor at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Physical Sciences.

Discovery

His discovery was linked to a previous discovery by George Williams, also of the University of Adelaide, that the

in Lake Acraman was due to the impact of a superbolide (exceptionally large

meteor A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as mi ...

). After Gostin learned about this, he, Williams, Peter Haines and other colleagues of the University of Adelaide studied the materials in both places and found that they were similar in lithology and fracturing, showing that the ejecta in the Flinders Ranges came from the Lake Acraman site. This collaborative study was announced by them on 9 July 1985 during the Adelaide Geosyncline Informal Research Symposium in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Adelaide. Gostin remarked that his discovery "was the first known occurrence of far-flung ejected blocks of impact origin that have been preserved on earth."

Awards and honors

Main-belt asteroid 3640 Gostin, which was named in honor of Gostin, was discovered by Carolyn and

Eugene Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997) was an American geologist. He co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy. This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994: the impact was televise ...

at the Palomar Observatory. The citation reads as follows: In 2011, Gostin was also awarded the Bruce Webb Medal of the SA Division of the

Geological Society of Australia The Geological Society of Australia (GSA) was established as a non-profit organisation in 1952 to promote, advance and support earth sciences in Australia. The founding Chairperson was Edwin Sherbon Hills. William Rowan Browne was a founder of th ...

Bruce Webb Medal
Geological Society of Australia. Retrieved 6 April 2021. for "his major contributions to Earth Sciences education and various aspects of geology, including environmental geology,

marine geology Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the history and structure of the ocean floor. It involves geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and coastal zone. Marine geolog ...

, planetology and sedimentology over the last forty years."

Personal life

Gostin is an active member of the Theosophical Society in Australia and edits the e-newsletter ''Theosophy and Science.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gostin, Victor Australian geologists 1940 births Living people

Discovery

Awards and honors

Personal life

See also

References