Xavier Le Pichon
Xavier Le Pichon (; born 18 June 1937 in
Qui Nhơn,
French protectorate of Annam (later
South Vietnam and today
Vietnam)) is a French
geophysicist. Among many other contributions, he is known for his comprehensive model of
plate tectonics (1968), helping create the field of plate tectonics. In 1968 he combined the kinematic ideas of
W. J. Morgan,
D. McKenzie and R. L. Parker with the large data sets collected by Lamont, and especially with the respective magnetic profiles, to show that Plate Tectonics could accurately describe the evolution of the major ocean basins. He is professor at the
Collège de France, holder of the Chair of Geodynamics (1986–2008). He is a lifelong devout Catholic, and has come to think of caring attention to others' weakness as an essential quality that allowed humanity to evolve. He lives with his wife and has five children and eleven grandchildren.
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