Albrecht Hofmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Albrecht Werner Hofmann
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Hofmann in 2018
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| Born |
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1939 (age 85–86) |
| Alma mater | Brown University (PhD) |
| Awards | Urey Medal (2015) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Carnegie Institution for Science Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Columbia University |
| Thesis | Hydrothermal experiments on equilibrium partitioning and diffusion kinetics of Rb, Sr, and Na in biotite - alkali chloride solution systems (1969) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bruno Giletti |
Albrecht Werner Hofmann (born 1939) is a German geochemist. A geochemist is a scientist who studies the chemistry of the Earth. He is a retired professor at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and also works at Columbia University. He is well-known for his important work in the field of geochemistry.
His Early Studies
Albrecht Hofmann studied geology and geochemistry in Freiburg, Germany. Geology is the study of Earth's rocks and features. He earned his PhD degree from Brown University in the United States between 1962 and 1968. A PhD is a high-level university degree. His main research for his degree was about how certain elements move in hot, watery rock solutions.
Exploring Earth's Inside
After his studies, Hofmann worked as a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C. He then became a director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany in 1980. There, he led a new department focused on geochemistry. Since 2007, he has been a visiting scientist at Columbia University.
Hofmann's research helps us understand the Earth's mantle. The mantle is the thick, rocky layer inside Earth, between the crust and the core. He studies tiny amounts of special elements and different forms of atoms found in volcanic rocks called basalts.
He discovered that specific amounts of these tiny elements can show how old ocean and land rocks get pulled back into the Earth's mantle. This process is called "recycling." His work showed that the mantle is not perfectly mixed. Instead, it has different chemical parts, mostly because of these recycled ocean rocks.
Awards and Recognition
Albrecht Hofmann has received many important awards for his work. These include the Goldschmidt Medal, the Hess Medal, and the Urey Medal. He became a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States in 1999. In 2018, he was also chosen as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom.
