Hans Stille

Hans Stille ( born October 8, 1876 in Hannover, † December 26, 1966 ibid ) one of the foremost geologists of the 20th century. He was a professor of geology at the universities of Göttingen, Hanover and Berlin from 1932 ( Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universität ). In 1946 he founded in East Berlin the Geotectonic Institute, emerged from the later, the geophysical Central Institute ZIPE.

Silent research - particularly for mountain building - contributed significantly to the fact that the geology further developed to Mobilism. As representatives of the contraction theory of the earth, he was an opponent of Wegener's continental drift.

Academic Career

His parents were playing cards manufacturer Eduard silence and Meta, born Hanckes, sons were the German diplomat Hans Wilhelm and silence. Hans silence fell in 1895 graduated from the Leibniz Gymnasium in Hanover and began studying in Hannover.

As a student moved silence after three semesters studying chemistry in Hanover, where he had joined the Corps Macaro - Visurgia connected to geology at the University of Göttingen. He was all his life proud of his supervisor Adolf von Koenen (1837-1915) who guided him to precise work in customer fossils and geology. Even silence explored henceforth the fine stratification of rocks and their precise dating in the Earth's history. His dissertation wrote in 1898 about the structure of the Teutoburg Forest.

He then worked as a geologist kartierender in Berlin at the Prussian Geological Institute. As a student he was Koenen its precise geological maps in a position to understand global processes in ancient geological complexes, which his later founded world fame. He habilitated in 1904 and 1908 was followed by a call to the Chair of Geology and Mineralogy of the Technical University of Hanover. In 1912 he moved to the University of Leipzig and in 1913 as a professor of geology and paleontology at the University of Göttingen appointed. Here he remained until 1932, then was appointed professor at the Berlin University and the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. There he founded "his" Geotektonisches Institute and was the pioneer of horizontal tectonics, honored with numerous awards and commemorative publications. After his retirement in 1950 he went back to Hanover, but was East Berlin Institute continues as a consultant.

In West Germany was silence for namesake of Hans Stille medal, which gives the German Society for Geosciences ( DGG ) annually since 1950 for outstanding contributions in the geosciences. In 1932 he became a corresponding member of the Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

Discovery of new phenomena

The learned at A.Koenen precision of the field work made him aware of yet undiscovered phenomena - about 1910/12 in Lower Saxony, the Jurassic - saxonische tectonics with interaction of pressure and strain. So he came as supporters of the contraction theory to view the earth's crust must also have periods of expansion despite slower shortening. The fraction folded mountains he explained with the flexibility of the geosyncline areas against their rigid foreland. In Teutoburg Forest he recognized from the Mesozoic different folding directions, from which he could date the Variscan Orogenphase.

At plutonic magma he recognized basic / acidic differences depending on orogenetischer phase of ascension. At the many salt domes in the northern German underground, he pointed Injektivfaltungen after by salt river, he faced volcanic Glutfluss.

These and other discoveries eventually led him to the realization that each orogeny had to run typical phases.

Magma table - tectonic cycle

Leading the way described silence the geological history of Europe by repeated tectonic and magmatic stages of what later became known as cycles theory. This tectonic stages he named geosynklinal, orogen, quasikratonisch and kratonisch. In the geosynclinal phase opens an ocean of basaltic volcanism is dominant. In the orogenic phase, a mountain folds on and through the interaction with the now increasingly thicker layers formed felsic or intermediate volcanism. Later in the quasikratonischen phase penetrates no more magma to the surface, but remains in the crust stuck. They form intrusions. Finally, in the cratonic phase of volcanism shall first complete on or individual new basaltic volcanoes rise up.

These phases are still eponymous for the processes of mountain building ( orogeny ), the continental microplates ( cratons ) and extensive rift zones ( geosynclines ). Hans silence believed four such repeating phases in Europe to be able to make out the " fennosarmatische " Education Ur - Europe in the Precambrian, the " Caledonian " Consolidation paleo- Europe in the Lower Paleozoic, the formation of the " Variscan " ( today's Central Mountains) and thus meso - Europe in the Late Paleozoic and finally the " Alpidic " Consolidation Neo - Europe, which continues into the Quaternary (geology).

See also: Silent - cycle

Role as an opponent of Alfred Wegener

Alfred Wegener's now generally accepted theory of continental drift was highly controversial during his lifetime and after Wegener's death came first even in oblivion. In Germany especially the rejection by the geologist Hans Cloos Hans and silence was crucial. Hans silence remained until his death in 1966, a staunch opponent of continental drift, although he was completely in the wrong, and thus confirmed the view of Max Planck, according to which prevail revolutionary theories only when their opponents die out. His preference for the contraction hypothesis as a potential engine of crustal has silence at a later age, however, even relativized by, inter alia, to sought a synthesis with the model of isostasy.

Honors

Hans silence was at five universities, Humboldt University, Berlin, Sofia University, which awarded the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Friedrich -Schiller- University Jena and the Leibniz University of Hannover with an honorary doctorate. He was decent, Corresponding and Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, Göttingen, Munich, Hall, Oslo, Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Barcelona, Athens and Bucharest. Since 1956, silence was Honorary Chairman of the Geological Society, in which he was a member since 1898.