Gerald J. Wasserburg

Who is Gerald J. Wasserburg?

Gerald J. Wasserburg is an American geologist. He is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology. He is known for his work in the fields of isotope geochemistry, cosmochemistry, meteoritics and astrophysics.

After leaving the US army, where he received the Combat Infantryman Badge, he graduated from high school and attended college on the G.I. Bill. Wasserburg completed his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1954, with a thesis on the development of K–Ar dating, done under the sponsorship of Prof. H. C. Urey and Prof M. G. Inghram. He joined the faculty at Caltech in 1955 as Assistant Professor. He became Associate Professor in 1959 and Professor of Geology and Geophysics in 1962. In 1982 he became the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics; he retired in 2001. He, Typhoon Lee and D.A. Papanastassiou discovered the presence of short-lived radioactive ²⁶Al in the early solar system and short-lived ¹⁰⁷Pd with William R. Kelly.

Wasserburg was deeply involved in the Apollo Program with the returned Lunar samples.