This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: Ida Kubiszewski
Marion King Hubbert (1903-1989), an American geophysicist best known for his accurate prediction of the peak in oil production in the lower 48 United States. In 1956, he published what is now known as the “Hubbert Curve”, a simple mathematical model of oil supply; he used this to predict that the peak of crude-oil production in the United States would occur between 1966 and 1971. It actually occurred in 1970. Hubbert's estimate of future supplies were much lower than those accepted by many American petroleum companies and leaders of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), producing a long-running and public debate about the future of oil supplies that continues to this day. Hubbert also made numerous fundamental contributions to geophysics. He demonstrated that fluids can become entrapped under circumstances previously not thought possible, leading to a major reassessment of techniques to locate oil and natural gas deposits. Hubbert also explained the puzzling displacement of enormous blocks of material, known to geologists as overthrust faults, as a consequence of fluid pressure between such blocks and underlying materials.
Cutler Cleveland (Lead Author);Ida Kubiszewski (Topic Editor) "Hubbert, Marion King". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth February 10, 2007; Last revised Date February 10, 2007; Retrieved May 26, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Hubbert,_Marion_King>
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Editor-in-Chief
The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (Full Bio)
Marion King Hubbert (1903-1989), an American geophysicist best known for his accurate prediction of the peak in oil production in the lower 48 United States. In 1956, he published what is now known as the “Hubbert Curve”, a simple mathematical model of oil supply; he used this to predict that the peak of crude-oil production in the United States would occur between 1966 and 1971. It actually occurred in 1970. Hubbert's estimate of future supplies were much lower than those accepted by many American petroleum companies and leaders of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), producing a long-running and public debate about the future of oil supplies that continues to this day. Hubbert also made numerous fundamental contributions to geophysics. He demonstrated that fluids can become entrapped under circumstances previously not thought possible, leading to a major reassessment of techniques to locate oil and natural gas deposits. Hubbert also explained the puzzling displacement of enormous blocks of material, known to geologists as overthrust faults, as a consequence of fluid pressure between such blocks and underlying materials.
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