(Photo: Australian National University )
Professor of Seismology, Earth Physics
Director, ANSIR National Research Facility
Past President, International Association of Seismology
and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI)
Biographical Information
"Brian Kennett is currently Distinguished Professor of Seismology at the Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University and was Director from September 2006 to January 2010. He received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Seismology from the University of Cambridge in 1973. He was a Lindemann Fellow at IGPP, University of California, San Diego and then a University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. He moved to Australia in 1984, and was President of IASPEI from 1999-2003.
His research has covered a very wide range of topics in seismology, from reflection seismology to studies of the deep Earth and from theoretical to observational studies. He has received recognition through many medals and awards including the Gold Medal in Geophysics from the Royal Astronomical Society, the Gutenberg Medal from the European Geosciences Union, the Murchison Medal from the Geological Society of London, and the Jaeger and Flinders Medals from the Australian Academy of Sciences. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society (London)." Source: Australian National University
Awards
Source: Australian National University
1972 University of Cambridge Smith's Prize,
for original essay on "The Scattering of Seismic Waves"
1979 Van Weelden Award of the European Association of Exploration Geophysicists
for paper "The suppression of surface multiples on seismic records"
presented at Dublin, June 1978
1981 University of Cambridge Adam's Prize
for essay "Seismic Wave Propagation in Stratified Media"
1988 Fellow, American Geophysical Union
1994 Fellow, Australian Academy of Sciences
1996 Associate [Honorary Fellow], Royal Astronomical Society
2003 Centenary Medal, Commonwealth of Australia
for "Service to Australian society and science in geophysics"
2005 Jaeger Medal for Australian Earth Sciences, Australian Academy of Sciences
2005 Fellow, Royal Society (London)
2006 Murchison Medal, The Geological Society of London
2007 Gutenberg Medal, European Geosciences Union, Seismology Division
2008 Gold Medal for Geophysics, Royal Astronomical Society
2008 Peter Baume Award for exceptional merit, The Australian National University
2011 Flinders Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Sciences
Specific areas of research related to plate tectonic theory
Source: Australian National University
The Structure of the Earth
Seismic Wave Propagation
Inverse Theory
Applied Seismology
Areas of expertise
Source: Australian National University
Seismology And Seismic Exploration
Geophysics
Geodynamics
Acoustics And Acoustical Devices; Waves
Example of Research:
Figure 11 The depth to the Moho across Australia derived from a combination of seismic
refraction, refraction and receiver function studies (Kennett et al., 2011). The values obtained
from different classes of observations are indicated by the colours attached to the distinctive
symbols for each data type. (Source: Kennett B.L.N & Blewett R. (2012) Lithospheric framework of Australia, Episodes, 35, 9-22. [PDF] )
Seismic refraction involves measuring the travel time of the component of seismic energy which travels down to the top of rock (or other distinct density contrast), is refracted along the top of rock, and returns to the surface as a head wave along a wave front similar to the bow wake of a ship. The shock waves which return from the top of rock are refracted waves, and for geophones at a distance from the shot point, always represent the first arrival of seismic energy. The travel time is then used to estimate distance or in this case, depth. (Source: enviroscan)
The Moho is the boundary between the crust and the mantle in the earth. This is a depth where seismic waves change velocity and there is also a change in chemical composition. The boundary is between 25 and 60 km deep beneath the continents and between 5 and 8 km deep beneath the ocean floor. (Source: USGS)
Personal Interview Completed Feb. 2013.
1. You received your Ph.D. in Theoretical Seismology from the University of Cambridge in 1973. What originally sparked your interest in seismology and seismic exploration?
I had been interested in geology for a long time and became intrigued by wave propagation during my undergraduate studies so Seismology seemed a good topic to marry these interests.
2. You are currently a Professor of Seismology and the Director of ANSIR National Research Facility. What continues to interest you?
Much of my career has been involved with "structural" seismology and I continue to be interested in new ways to extract information from the seismic wave field, either by the application of new methods e.g. a paper just published in GJI on the extraction of reflection information by autocorrelation of the signal at a station or by using normally neglected information e.g. the use of high frequency scattered waves to gain insight into the heterogeneity structure of the lithosphere.
3. What do you consider to be the biggest “unanswered question” in seismology?
There is increasing evidence for a complex interaction between the character of seismic sources, particularly the patterns of energy release,
and the structure that is in the subducting slab. What is the nature of this interaction - can we recognise symptoms of future great earthquakes
from structural indicators? There are some encouraging hints but we need more information if we are to be more specific with
earthquake forecasts.
4. What advances in our understanding of the whole earth and upper mantle do you hope to see in the next few decades?
I hope that we will be able to understand the nature of heterogeneity and consequent anisotropy so that we are able to provide
clear characterisation of structure. Many materials appear to be anisotropic but there are many ways in which this can arise, and
the physics of the wave propagation is rather complex.
Books and Publications:
Source: Australian National University
This page created by Van Wagner Feb. 2013. Graduate student enrolled in Earth 520 with PSU World Campus.