Lehmann, Inge

[person]

Danish physicist born in Osterbro by the Lakes (1888-1993). In 1925, Lehmann became interested in seismology while working as assistant to Professor N.E. Norlund. Three years later, she was appointed chief of the seismological department at the Royal Geodetic Institute. Because Denmark is seismically stable, Lehmann focused her research on small earthquakes and explosions and the microseismic wave motions generated by Arctic and North Sea storms. From refractions of seismic waves, she discovered the Earth's inner core in 1936. In 1971, Lehmann was awarded the Bowie Medal by the American Geophysical Union for her contributions to the fields of seismology and Earth science.