Zeng Rongsheng
Zeng Rongsheng (Chinese: 曾融生; 16 August 1924 – 22 October 2019) was a Chinese geophysicist and earthquake researcher who helped establish the geophysics programs at the China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Peking University, and the University of Science and Technology of China. He investigated the crustal structures of many locations in China and their relations to earthquakes. Considered a founder of solid earth geophysics in the country, he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980.
Zeng Rongsheng | |||||||||
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Born | |||||||||
Died | 22 October 2019 95) Beijing, China | (aged||||||||
Alma mater | Xiamen University | ||||||||
Awards | National Science Congress Award (1978) State Science and Technology Progress Award (1997) | ||||||||
Scientific career | |||||||||
Fields | Solid earth geophysics | ||||||||
Institutions | Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration | ||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||
Chinese | 曾融生 | ||||||||
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Life and career
Zeng was born on 16 August 1924 in Fuqing, Fujian, Republic of China, with his ancestral home in Pingtan County.[1] After graduating from Xiamen University in July 1946, he was hired by the university as a teaching assistant.[2]
In September 1947, Zeng joined the Institute of Physics of the National Peiping Academy in Beijing (then called Peiping) as an assistant researcher. He joined the Institute of Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1950 as an assistant professor and later associate professor. In 1978, he became a research professor at the Institute of Geophysics of the China Earthquake Administration, where he worked until his retirement in 2018. He was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 1980.[2][3]
Contributions
In the 1950s and 1960s, Zeng assisted academician Fu Chengyi with establishing geophysics programs at the China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Peking University, and the University of Science and Technology of China.[2][5] His first graduate student, Chen Yuntai, also became an academician of the CAS.[6]
Zeng conducted a low-frequency seismic wave experiment in the Qaidam Basin in 1958. The project later won the National Science Congress Award in 1978.[1] He examined the crustal structures of many locations in China and investigated sources of seismic waves. He studied the geodynamics of the extensional basins in North China and their connection to the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.[2][5]
In the 1990s, Zeng organized the first Sino-American joint project to investigate the crust and upper mantle of the Tibetan Plateau and the collision process of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate.[1][5] He was conferred the State Science and Technology Progress Award (Third Class) in 1997.[2]
Zeng published Introduction to Solid Earth Geophysics (固体地球物理学导论) in 1984, the first systematic book on the subject in China. A monumental work with more than 660,000 Chinese characters, it has been widely used in education and research.[6] He is generally considered a founder of solid earth geophysics in China.[1][2][4]
References
- "95岁著名地球物理学家曾融生院士逝世!今年已痛失28位院士". Sohu (in Chinese). 23 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- "著名固体地球物理学家曾融生院士逝世". Sciencenet. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "曾融生". Chinese Academy of Sciences. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- Yue, Huairang (22 October 2019). "著名固体地球物理学家曾融生院士逝世,10月已送别4位院士". The Paper. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "Zeng Rongsheng". Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- Yang Shu 杨舒 (29 October 2019). "探向地球更深处". Guangming Daily. Retrieved 2 November 2019.