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David J. Varnes

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American geologist (1919-2002)

David Joseph Varnes (April 5, 1919 - 3 February, 2002) was a U.S. geologist chiefly known for his work on landslide classification.

History

He graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1940 and joined the United States Geological Survey the following year. He became part of its Engineering Geology Branch in 1948 and worked on ground conditions for the new United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. His subsequent paper, with Glen Scott, won the Geological Society of America's Burwell Award in 1970.

Varnes began a study of landslide classification that lasted 4 decades. His paper in the Highway Research Board book on Landslides and Engineering Practice (1958) together with its revisions 1978 and, with David Cruden, 1996 established a worldwide standard for such classification.

He also worked on earthquake prediction, co-authoring a paper on seismic activity in the Virgin Islands with Charles Bufe. His "earthquake prediction work has attracted worldwide attention and debate, and may well be his most enduring contribution."

The Varnes Medal of the International Consortium on Landslides is named in his honour.

References

  1. ^ "Memorial to David J. Varnes" (PDF). GSAM Memorials, v. 32. Geological Society of America. 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. ^ "David Joseph Varnes, 1919-2002". The Geological Society (UK). 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  3. Novotny, Jan (2013). "Varnes Landslide Classification (1978)". Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  4. Varnes, David J.; Scott, Glenn R. (1970). "General and Engineering Geology of the United States Air Force Academy Site, Colorado" (PDF). Geological Survey Professional Paper 551. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. "Landslides and Engineering Practice". 1958. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  6. Varnes D. J., Slope movement types and processes. In: Schuster R. L. & Krizek R. J. Ed., Landslides, analysis and control. Transportation Research Board Sp. Rep. No. 176, Nat. Acad. oi Sciences, pp. 11–33, 1978.
  7. Cruden, David M.; Varnes, David J. (1996). "Landslide Types and Processes". Transportation Research Board, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Special Report. 247: 36–75. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  8. Varnes, David J.; Bufe, Charles G. (1996). "The cyclic and fractal seismic series preceding an mb 4.8 earthquake on 1980 February 14 near the Virgin Islands". Geophysical Journal International. 124 (1): 149–158. Bibcode:1996GeoJI.124..149V. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.1996.tb06359.x. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  9. "2004 Recipient of the Varnes Medal". Landslides. 2 (1). Springer Link: 75–77. 2005. doi:10.1007/s10346-005-0047-3. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
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