Vladimir Vladimirovich Belousov (russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Белоу́сов) ( in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

– December 25, 1990) was an

Earth scientist Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres, ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, and a prominent advocate of alternatives to the theories of

plate tectonics Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...

and

seafloor spreading Seafloor spreading or Seafloor spread is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge. History of study Earlier theories by Alfred Wegener a ...

during the period of the 20th century in which debate on these subjects was most intense. Belousov was head of the Geodynamics Department of the Institute of the Physics of the Earth in

(from 1944), a corresponding member of the

Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...

(from 1953), and a professor at both the Moscow Geological Surveyance Institute (from 1943) and

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

(from 1953). From 1960 to 1963, Belousov was President of the

International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG; french: Union géodésique et géophysique internationale, UGGI) is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the scientific study of Earth and its space environment us ...

(IUGG). He was also a Foreign Member of

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

. In 1942 he advanced theory that the Earth's material has gradually differentiated according to its density to produce the present internal structure of the Earth and that this gradual movement is the basic cause of movements of the Earth's crust. During the 1960s he led three expeditions to the East African Rift to study

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

structure and the Earth's mantle. These trips fuelled his idea that

continental crust Continental crust is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks that forms the geological continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. This layer is sometimes called '' sial'' be ...

was transformed to

oceanic crust Oceanic crust is the uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of the tectonic plates. It is composed of the upper oceanic crust, with pillow lavas and a dike complex, and the lower oceanic crust, composed of troctolite, gabbro and ultramafic ...

by widespread processes involving basic

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

s. Although his theories were ultimately rejected by the

scientific community The scientific community is a diverse network of interacting scientists. It includes many " sub-communities" working on particular scientific fields, and within particular institutions; interdisciplinary and cross-institutional activities are als ...

, he was an important figure in the development of the Earth sciences within the Soviet union following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Bibliography

Papers in English

* ''Belousov V.V.'' The upper mantle project: World scientists join in a great venture. - The Courier UNESCO. 1963. N 10. P. 12–17. * ''Belousov V.V.'' The upper mantle and its influence on the development of the Earth's crust. - JCSU Review of world science. 1964. Vol. 6. P. 72–77. * ''Belousov V.V.'' The relationship between the Earth's crust and the deeper layers of the Earth. - Joum. Indian Geoph. Union. 1965. Vol. 1, N 1. P. 1–7; Ibid. Vol. 2, N 2. P. 81–86. * ''Belousov V.V.'' Modern concepts of the structure and development of the Earth's crust and the upper mantle of continents. - Quart. Journ. Geol. soc. London. 1966. Vol. 122. Pt. 3. N 487. P. 293–314; Ibid. - Journ. Geol. soc. India. 1966. Vol. 7. P. 1–14. * ''Belousov V.V.'' Against continental drift. - Science Journ. 1967. Vol. 3. N 1. P. 2–7. * ''Belousov V.V.'' Some comments on possible processes in the Earth's mantle. - J. R. astr. soc. 1967. Vol. 14. N 1–4. P. 371–373. * ''Belousov V.V.'' Structural geology. M.: Mir, 1968. 180 p. * ''Belousov V.V.'
Some problems of development of the Earth‘s crust and upper mantle of oceans
// The Crust and Upper Mantle of the Pacific Area. Washington:, AGU, 1968. P. 449–459. (Geophysical Monograph Series; Vol 12) * ''Belousov V.V.'' Interrelations between the Earth's crust and upper mantle. - The Earth's crust and upper mantle. Am. Geoph. Union, 1969. P. 698–712. * ''Belousov V.V.'' Against the hypothesis of ocean-floor spreading. - Tectonophysics. 1970. Vol. 9. N 6. P. 489–511. * ''Belousov V.V.'' On possible forms of relationship between magmatism and tectonogenesis // Journ. Geol. Soc. 1971. Vol. 127. N 1. P. 57–68. * ''Belousov V.V.'

urich. Feb. 5–6. 1979 Episodes. Vol. 2. N 1. 1979. P. 30. * ''Belousov V.V.'' Geotectonics. Moscow; Berlin; New York: Mir; Springer; Heidelberg, 1980. 330 p.

References

* Geological Society of London: Foreign members // Nature. 1959. Vol. 184. N 4696. P.1360-1361. * Belousov Vladimir Vladimirovich // The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago; London tc. Enc. Britannica Inc, 1986. Vol. 1. P. 83; 1992. Vol. 1. P. 84. * Ioganson L
The 1977 Belousov letter to Khain
// NCGY Journal. 2014. Vol. 2. N 3. P. 3–6. {{DEFAULTSORT:Belousov, Vladimir 1907 births 1990 deaths Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Foreign Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian geologists Beloussov Soviet geologists Soviet geophysicists Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery Presidents of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences