Xavier Le Pichon (French pronunciation:[ɡzavjeləpiʃɔ̃]; born 18 June 1937 in Qui Nhơn, French protectorate of Annam (later South Vietnam and today Vietnam)) is a French geophysicist.[1] 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).[1] 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.[2] He lives with his wife and has five children and eleven grandchildren.
Ballard, Robert D.; Hively, Will (2002). The eternal darkness : a personal history of deep-sea exploration. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN9780691095547.
Commission on Geosciences Environment and Resources; Ocean Studies Board; National Research Council (2000). 50 years of ocean discovery: National Science Foundation 1950–2000. National Academies Press. pp. 71–72. ISBN9780309172578.
Frankel, Henry R. (2012). The continental drift controversy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN9781107019942.
