Lawrence Whitaker Morley (February 19, 1920 – April 22, 2013) was a Canadian

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...

and remote sensing pioneer. He was best known for his studies on the magnetic properties of the

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 ultramaf ...

and their effect on

plate tectonics Plate tectonics (, ) is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago. The model builds on the concept of , an idea developed durin ...

and for starting the remote sensing program in Canada.

Biography

Morley worked on the theory of continental drift similar to work by Britons Fred Vine and Drummond Matthews. The three contributed significantly to

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

by relating the magnetic properties of

ocean crust Oceanic crust is the uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of the Plate tectonics, tectonic plates. It is composed of the upper oceanic crust, with pillow lavas and a dike (geology), dike complex, and the lower oceanic crust, composed of troct ...

to the processes involved in the theory of

. Following graduate studies at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, Morley became Director of the Geophysics Branch of the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; , CGC) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the environment. A branch of the Earth Science ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

(1950–1969). In 1970 he founded the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing and served as its Director General from 1971 to 1980. In 1974, Morley received an honorary degree from

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. He approached the university's faculty of science in 1985 to promote the creation of an institute of space research, which was founded by himself in 1986 as the Institute for Space and Terrestrial Science (ISTS). Morley served as a

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

officer for the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

during the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He has published over 65 scientific and technical papers on mineral exploration and

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

.Ontario Association of Remote Sensing
. Retrieved February 12, 2007. Morely was the founding Chairman of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society in 1974. In 1986 he received first Gold Medal of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society. In 2013 the Gold Medal was renamed the Larry Morley Gold Medal in his honor. Morley was awarded a Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 1995 and in 2015 was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* Canadian geologists Canadian geophysicists Geological Survey of Canada personnel University of Toronto alumni 1920 births 2013 deaths Tectonicists Officers of the Order of Canada Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II Royal Canadian Navy officers {{Geophysics-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links