Sigurður Þórarinsson
Sigurdur Thorarinsson was an Icelandic geologist, volcanologist, glaciologist, professor and lyricist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of tephrochronology, and he made significant contributions in many areas of geology, especially volcanology and glaciology, both in Iceland and abroad.Biography
Sigurður Þórarinsson was born in Vopnafjörður in northeastern Iceland in 1912. He received his Ph.D. from Stockholm University College in 1944 and began a long and distinguished academic career as professor of geography at the University of Iceland.
According to his obituary in The Geographical Journal, "He was something of a polymath who contrived to take geology, geomorphology, glaciology, climatology, and archaeology in his stride."
He died suddenly of a heart attack in Reykjavík in 1983. Subsequently, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior decided to name its highest award the Thorarinsson Medal in his honor. As usual outside Iceland, the name of the prize misunderstands Icelandic naming conventions, because Þórarinsson is a patronymic not a surname, and in Iceland he would have properly been referred to by his given first name, Sigurður.
Eldur er í Norðri is collection of papers, published by his colleague when Sigurður turned 70 years old.
He was the first to receive the award of Steno Medal in 1969 by the for his work with volcanology and tephrochronology.
Sigurdur Thorarinsson is the author of the lyrics to many well-known Icelandic songs, such as Þórsmerkurljóð, Vorkvöld í Reykjavík and Að lífið sé skjálfandi.
The Thorarinsson Medal is named in his honor.Books and Theses
, which rose out of the sea in 1963, was the subject of one of Sigurdur Thorarinsson's many books.
