A tribute to Manik Talwani - an introduction

The research career of Manik Talwani spans a period of about 50 years during which the understanding of our earth has advanced greatly. Intensive and focused research in the world’s oceans by marine geophysical surveying, sampling and drilling has confirmed and refined the dynamic concepts of plate tectonics and sea floor spreading, and has provided a detailed architectural and compositional framework of the outer earth. Manik Talwani has contributed significantly to our understanding of this framework, and its development in space and time, by his roles as an eminent scientist and as a science leader and facilitator. In addition to pioneering highly sophisticated disciplinary work, he has also led efforts towards integrated thematic studies of the development and evolution of ocean basins and continental margins. These studies have benefitted considerably from his foresight in applying state-of-the-art technology in surveying, sampling and data processing.