Rice geoscientist honored with Geological Society of America’s Woollard Award

(Press-News.org) Richard Gordon, the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geophysics, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, has been named the 2025 recipient of the George P. Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America (GSA). The award recognizes a career of outstanding contributions to geology through the application of geophysical principles and techniques. Gordon’s work has transformed our understanding of global plate motions and plate boundary deformation.

“This is a special honor for me,” Gordon said. “Some of the past recipients have been mentors, close colleagues and even a former Ph.D. advisee of mine — who, as it happens, was the one who nominated me.”

The Woollard Award, presented annually by GSA’s Geophysics and Geodynamics Division, honors geoscientists whose research has made lasting impacts in the field. At the GSA Connects 2025 meeting in San Antonio this October, Gordon will deliver the honorary George P. Woollard Technical Lecture during a special Woollard Symposium, where he will present an extended talk on “Diffuse Oceanic Plate Boundaries,” an area he has helped define through decades of research.

A leader in tectonic geophysics and geodesy, Gordon has made seminal contributions to understanding how tectonic plates move, deform and interact. His research has revealed the existence and behavior of diffuse plate boundaries — regions where deformation is spread over a broad area rather than concentrated along a single fault — and has shed light on “true polar wander,” when Earth shifts relative to its spin axis. He has also led the development of standard global plate motion models, including NUVEL (Northwestern University velocity) and MORVEL (mid-ocean ridge velocity), used worldwide in geoscience research.

“Richard’s research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how the Earth works, from the movement of tectonic plates to the forces that shape continents and oceans,” said Thomas Killian, dean of Rice’s Wiess School of Natural Sciences. “His impact is felt not only through his pioneering discoveries but also through the students and colleagues he has mentored over decades. This award is a fitting recognition of his exceptional contributions to geophysics and the broader geoscience community.”

Gordon’s career spans nearly five decades. After earning his doctorate in geophysics from Stanford University in 1979, he spent 15 years at Northwestern University before joining Rice’s faculty in 1995. His work combines marine geophysics, paleomagnetism, space geodesy, geodynamics and numerical modeling to uncover the forces that shape our planet’s surface. Along the way, he has earned numerous honors, including the American Geophysical Union’s Macelwane Medal, GSA’s Arthur L. Day Medal and the European Geosciences Union’s Stephan Mueller Medal. In addition, two of his publications were recognized by the editors of Geophysical Research Letters as among the 40 most important published in the journal’s first 40 years, and two more were recognized by the editors of Geophysical Journal International as among the 100 most historically significant published in the journal’s first 100 years.

This is Gordon’s third recognition from GSA, adding to his Best Paper Award from the Structural Geology and Tectonics Division and the Day Medal. He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union and GSA. When he’s not studying plate boundaries, Gordon can often be found playing trumpet in Rice’s jazz band.

“What makes this award especially meaningful is the connection to the people who’ve shaped my career — mentors who guided me, colleagues who inspired me and students who’ve carried the work forward in new directions,” Gordon said. “It’s gratifying to know that our collective efforts have advanced the way we understand our planet.”

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