Nick Mortimer is a New Zealand
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...
, who has made a name for himself with his work on
Zealandia
Zealandia (pronounced ), also known as (Māori language, Māori) or Tasmantis (from Tasman Sea), is an almost entirely submerged continent, submerged mass of continental crust in Oceania that subsided after breaking away from Gondwana 83 ...
.
Nick Mortimer was born in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and now lives in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
, New Zealand.
He studied geology and graduated with a Bachelor of Science with distinction in 1980. He then completed a PhD in geology and received his doctorate four years later.
Mortimer published his first papers in 1986/1987 while working at the Department of Geological Sciences at the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, Canada. He later has been working as a
petrologist
Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks, their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous an ...
at the Dunedin Research Centre of the
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science) since 1994,
where he is one of the "Principal Scientists".
During his career, he has conducted research in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
, Australia, Canada, the
Pacific islands
The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...
, the United States, and many areas of New Zealand.
Mortimer became known worldwide as the lead author of the article "Zealandia: Earth's Hidden Continent", which he published 2017 together with ten other scientists in the March issue of
GSA Today, a scientific journal of the
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences.
History
The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...
and with which he received a broad response in the media worldwide.
Memebership and editor
Mortimer is a member of the:
* Geological Society of New Zealand
* New Zealand Geophysical Society
* New Zealand Skeptics
* American Geophysical Union
and senior editor of the scientific magazine NZ Journal of Geology & Geophysics.
Selected publications
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;Publications as lead author in scientific journals:
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;Publications as co-author in scientific journals:
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortimer, Nick
20th-century New Zealand geologists
21st-century New Zealand geologists
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)