Kazım Ergin

Who was Kazım Ergin?

Kazim Ergin is a Turkish geophysicist, whose theoretical and experimental research contributed to many aspects of geophysics.

Ergin was born on May 21, 1915 in Gaziantep, in southeastern Turkey. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Gaziantep under difficult conditions, with many interruptions due to French occupation of the city during World War I. After completing his basic education, he received his B.Sc.degree in mathematics at Istanbul University. In June 1937, he was sent by the Mineral Research and Exploration Institute of Turkey to study mining, metallurgical, and petroleum engineering at Freiberger Bergakademie near Dresden, Germany. His studies were interrupted by World War II, but he moved to the United States to continue his education. He studied geophysics and geology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his B.Sc. degree in geological sciences there on December 18, 1942. In the meantime, he began studying for his M.Sc. degree with Beno Gutenberg at the California Institute of Technology and obtained the degree in 1943. After Ergin obtained his master’s degree, Gutenberg suggested he study seismic wave reflection and refraction at the rock-water interface for a Ph.D. degree. Unfortunately, MTA Institute requested his return to Turkey because his services were needed.