Lawrence Morley
Lawrence Whitaker Morley (February 19, 1920 –
April 22, 2013) was a Canadian geophysicist and Lawrence Morley
remote sensing pioneer. He was best known for his Born Lawrence Whitaker Morley
studies on the magnetic properties of the oceanic crust February 19, 1920
and their effect on plate tectonics and for starting the Toronto, Ontario, Canada
remote sensing program in Canada. Died April 22, 2013 (aged 93) [2]
Leith, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater University of Toronto
Biography Known for Founding the Canada Centre for
Remote Sensing
Morley worked on the theory of continental drift
Study of magnetic properties of
similar to work by Britons Fred Vine and Drummond
ocean crust.
Matthews. The three contributed significantly to
geology by relating the magnetic properties of ocean Awards Officer of the Order of Canada,
crust to the processes involved in the theory of plate 1999
tectonics. Following graduate studies at the University McCurdy award, 1974
[1]
of Toronto, Morley became Director of the Geophysics
Branch of the Geological Survey of Canada in Ottawa Scientific career
(1950–1969). In 1970 he founded the Canada Centre Fields Geophysics
for Remote Sensing and served as its Director General
from 1971 to 1980.
In 1974, Morley received an honorary degree from York University.[3] He approached the university's
faculty of science in 1985 to promote the creation of an institute of space research, which was founded by
himself in 1986 as the Institute for Space and Terrestrial Science (ISTS).[4]
Morley served as a radar officer for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic during the
Second World War. He has published over 65 scientific and technical papers on mineral exploration and
remote sensing.[5]
Morely was the founding Chairman of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society in 1974. In 1986 he
received first Gold Medal of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society. In 2013 the Gold Medal was
renamed the Larry Morley Gold Medal in his honor. Morley was awarded a Gold Medal from the Royal
Canadian Geographical Society in 1995 and in 2015 was inducted into the Canadian Science and
Engineering Hall of Fame.
See also
Natural Resources Canada
Geophysics
References
1. "Lawrence Whittaker Morley" (http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=20
1). Scientist profiles. science.ca. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
2. "Lawrence Morley: Obituary" (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ottawacitizen/obituary.aspx?
n=lawrence-morley&pid=164461106#fbLoggedOut). The Ottawa Citizen. April 26, 2013.
Retrieved May 20, 2013.
3. Honorary Degree Recipients (http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/senate/committees/hondeg/rec
ipients.htm). Retrieved February 12, 2007.
4. Morley, L. (1993) Remote sensing then and now. Ottawa: CCRS (http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.c
a/org/history/index_e.php) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070205010640/http://ccr
s.nrcan.gc.ca/org/history/index_e.php) 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
5. Ontario Association of Remote Sensing (http://www.oars.on.ca/honorary/morley.php)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192307/http://www.oars.on.ca/honorary/mor
ley.php) 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
External links
Media related to Lawrence Morley at Wikimedia Commons
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