Martin Bott conducted investigations into gravity anomalies related to granitic intrusions and into methods for discriminating them from anomalies due to concealed sedimentary basins. His results threw new light upon the mechanism of emplacement of acid igneous intrusions in the Earth’s crust. His prediction that a buried granite must be present beneath Weardale was substantiated by deep boring. He elucidated problems of crustal dynamics in terms of ductile flow of isostatic origin in the upper mantle, and proposed a new explanation for cyclic sedimentation. Since the advent of digital computers, he developed a wide range of computer techniques for the interpretation of gravity and magnetic anomalies, of very general applicability. His classic earlier studies of crustal structure in northern England and the Cornubian peninsular have been extended offshore, notably to the Irish Sea, the continental shelf area north west of Scotland, and the Iceland–Faroe ridge, contributing to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic basin and margins in the vicinity of the British Isles.
Professor Martin Bott FRS died on 20 October 2018.
Biographical Memoir
