March 28, 2018

One of the Greatest Proponents of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Processes

Dr. Kevin C. A. Burke, a world-renowned professor of geology and tectonics at the University of Houston’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences since 1983, passed away at his home in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on March 21, 2018.

He was one of the greatest proponents of plate tectonics and mantle processes in a career that extended over seven decades and influenced multiple generations of geoscientists on many continents. With Burke’s passing, a great life force has gone out, but his spirit will live on in all of us that he inspired.

From 1953 to 1972, he held a series of geology positions in teaching and research that included postings in Gold Coast, Ghana, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Korea, Jamaica, and Nigeria. A critical junction in his career occurred in 1972-73 when he became a visiting professor at the University of Toronto. There, he became a close associate and mentee of Dr. J. Tuzo Wilson, who was one of the most prominent proponents of plate tectonics and hotspot studies at that time.

In 1983, he joined the faculty of the University of Houston and also worked as director and associate director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute at NASA in Houston until 1988.

His lifetime achievement awards include the Geological Society of America (GSA) Structure and Tectonics Career Award (2004); the Penrose Medal, the highest award of GSA (2007); and the Arthur Holmes Medal & Membership, one of the most prestigious awards of the European Geosciences Union (2013).

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Burke is survived by a brother and sister, three children and two grandchildren.