History Of Geosciences Research Articles

MAGMATOLOGICAL TECTONICS: ALFRED RITTMANN’S PARADIGM

ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to present the life and research of Alfred Rittmann (1893–1980). He was an Earth scientist in the broadest sense: a petrographer, mineralogist, magmatologist, tectonist, geodynamicist, planetologist, volcanologist and, what is more, a philosopher of geosciences. He is considered the founder of contemporary, volcanology by combining in his interdisciplinary research the study of volcanic phenomena at the surface with tectonic activity and magmatology. In his books, Rittmann discussed the first correlations between volcanism and tectonics; his geodynamic model comprises complex studies of geology, volcanology, magmatology and geodynamics. We propose to name his scientific worldview ‘Magmatological Tectonics’ (MT) and to describe it as a Kuhnian paradigm. The leading concept of all geological processes is the fundamental law. Rittmann also made abundant use of Chamberlin’s method, the method of multiple working hypotheses. Some brief interpretations will be proposed regarding the importance of Rittmann in the history of geosciences in the twentieth century and the emergence of some philosophical problems deriving from this research.

Understanding the concept of outlier and its relevance to the assessment of data quality: Probabilistic background theory

Abstract In recent years an increasing interest in the studies on outlier can be observed, however, for the time being there exists no general definition of outlier. In the present paper we introduced a generic descriptive definition of outlier. We observed that the outlier problems had so far been treated in statistical way without paying proper attention to probabilistic-theoretic backgrounds. In view of this gap, we made an attempt to establish a probabilistic background theory. Within this framework, the large deviations are considered as probabilistic-theoretic model of outlier, and the interrelationship of the laws of large numbers, the central limit theorems and the large deviations are clarified. These considerations are specialized for the case of statistical sample, which is important from the point of view of the assessment of data quality. Some methodological and historical aspects of geodesy, geophysics and astronomy are mentioned, too. We revealed that the data analysis carried out by Kepler in the process of discovery of his famous elliptic law of planetary motion has relevance to the outlier problem. This methodologically interesting fact is a new result in the history of geosciences. We established that the accuracy of Chebyshev inequality increases as the deviation of the random variable involved from its expectation, increases. The possibility of application of Chebyshev inequality to the outlier problem is pointed out.

Cultural heritage in geosciences, mining, and metallurgy

Seven conferences devoted to the documentation and history of geosciences, mining, and metallurgy took place from 1993 to 2003 mainly where the first Schools of Mines were founded. More conferences are planned in the future. It is hoped that those interested in the preservation of this heritage support such effort.

Why research into the history of geosciences?

Study of the history of various sciences is rather heterogeneous. Some disciplines, such as medicine, mathematics, and astronomy, have numerous noteworthy compendia and even specialized journals where papers on the history of these sciences can be published. The situation in geophysics, meteorology, and other subdivisions of the geosciences is far less favorable. This neglect is an outcome of a dogma of autonomy that is essentially oriented toward progress in understanding, without much reference to historical developments. But even the geoscientists cannot ignore that the phenomenon ‘science’ must be viewed in the context of sociological processes. In the initial stages, sociologists and some philosophers, in the context of the general theory of perception, began research into the development of scientific thought, but the geoscientists and other natural scientists contributed very little. It has since become clear that research on these topics requires historical assessment and more insight. The development of the ‘science of science’ is directed toward understanding and explanation of the complex human involvement in science, not only in the sense of theorizing about the scientific processes but also in sociological, political, and historical context [Kuhn, 1973; Burrichter, 1979; Sandkuhler and Plath, 1979.]

西洋地学の導入（明治元年〜明治２４年）〈その３〉 「日本地学史」稿抄

西洋地学の導入（明治元年〜明治２４年）〈その３〉 「日本地学史」稿抄

西洋地学の導入（明治元年〜明治２４年） 〈その１〉 「日本地学史」稿抄

西洋地学の導入（明治元年〜明治２４年） 〈その１〉 「日本地学史」稿抄

Why research into the history of geosciences?

Study of the history of various sciences is rather heterogeneous. Some disciplines, such as medicine, mathematics, and astronomy, have numerous noteworthy compendia and even specialized journals where papers on the history of these sciences can be published.The situation in geophysics, meteorology, and other subdivisions of the geosciences is far less favorable. This neglect is an outcome of a dogma of autonomy that is essentially oriented toward progress in understanding, without much reference to historical developments. But even the geoscientists cannot ignore that the phenomenon ‘science’ must be viewed in the context of sociological processes. In the initial stages, sociologists and some philosophers, in the context of the general theory of perception, began research into the development of scientific thought, but the geoscientists and other natural scientists contributed very little. It has since become clear that research on these topics requires historical assessment and more insight. The development of the ‘science of science’ is directed toward understanding and explanation of the complex human involvement in science, not only in the sense of theorizing about the scientific processes but also in sociological, political, and historical context [Kuhn, 1973; Burrichter, 1979; Sandkühler and Plath, 1979.]