With deep regret, we inform you that Tom Simkin, founder and director for many years of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program, passed away on June 10, 2009, at the age of 75. Tom Simkin's distinguished career in volcanology at the Smithsonian spanned more than four decades. Tom was a pioneer in recognizing the value of investigating volcanism on a global scale, and was the founder and director of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program (GVP) until 1995. The twin pillars of the GVP lay in both documenting current volcanic activity and unrest and in developing a database of volcanoes and their eruptions during the past 10,000 years. His tireless devotion to detail and scientific accuracy has led to the Smithsonian becoming the globally recognized resource for data and context of the world's volcanoes and their eruptions. He was the first to note logarithmic relationship between eruption magnitude and frequency and the inverse correlation between eruption magnitude and intervals between eruptions, making the important point that the long-dormant volcanoes that escape the attention of those living in their shadow can produce some of the most violent eruptions. GVP data have widespread applications for research and hazards mitigation and include investigations into the seasonality of volcanic eruptions, links between volcanic eruptions and climate, and connections between global-scale earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It has been a resource for national and international organizations dealing with volcanic hazards, such as the United Nations, the USGS, NOAA, NASA, and the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and has contributed to FAA response to volcanoes and aviation safety. Tom authored two editions of the globally utilized compilation Volcanoes of the World and was currently collaborating on a 3rd edition. Tom was also well known for his extensive field studies on Fernandina and other Galápagos Islands volcanoes and served on the Charles Darwin Foundation promoting science and conservation in this unique natural laboratory. Tom's contributions to volcanology continued in his emeritus status, following his retirement in 2003. In 2006 he published the 3rd edition of the This Dynamic Planet map in collaboration with scientists from the USGS and the Naval Research Lab. The first two editions of this map plotting volcanoes, earthquakes, meteorite impact sites, and tectonic plate boundaries became the most-sold map of the USGS and have been widely used in K-12 through graduate school education and science. In 2004 Tom was awarded the prestigious Krafft Medal by the International Association of Volcanology, honoring those who have shown altruism and dedication to the humanitarian and applied sides of volcanology and have made selfless contributions to the volcanological community. Tom leaves behind his wife, Sharon, daughter Shona, and son Adam. Additional information will be provided at http://www.volcano.si.edu/info/simkin/ when available. ============================================================== To unsubscribe from the volcano list, send the message: signoff volcano to: listserv@xxxxxxx, or write to: volcano-request@xxxxxxxx To contribute to the volcano list, send your message to: volcano@xxxxxxxx Please do not send attachments. ==============================================================
