AWARDEE OF EARTH SCIENCES PRIZE

YIN HONGFU

Yin Hongfu,  was born on March 15, 1935, in Dinghai, Zhejiang Prov., China.
Career: 1956.5, graduated from Dept Geology, Beijing College of Geology; 1961.5, graduated from Graduate School of Beijing College of Geology; assistant professor (1961-1978), lecturer(1978-1980), associate professor(1980-1986) and professor(1986-)of China University of Geosciences (CUG), formerly Beijing(1952-1975) and Wuhan(1975-1987) College of  Geology; Special class model worker of Hubei Prov.; Vice-chairman of Sci. & Tech. Association of Hubei Prov.; Chairman of directorial committee of earth science education, Ministry of Education; National advanced worker; Member of 9th National Political Consultative Conference; Member of The Academy of China; President of CUG(Wuhan).
Academic duties: Deputy director of the National Committee of Stratigraphy; Vice-chairman of the Subcommittee of Triassic Stratigraphy, International Committee of Stratigraphy; Chairman of International Working Group on Permian-Triassic Boundary; Professor of Nanjing University, Northwest University, East China Normal University etc.; Editor of Episodes, Science in China. Science Bulletin,etc.; Vice-chairman of the Paleontological Society of China(1992-1997);
Awards: Li Siguang Award of Geological Society of China(1992); Two 2nd class National Natural Science Awards (1999,2002); One 1st and one 2nd class Sci. & Tech. Progress Award, Ministry of Education; Two 1st class Natural Science Awards of Hubei Prov.; Five 2nd class Sci.& Tech. Progress Awards, Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources; Several 3rd class awards.
His main works concentrated on biogeology, which has ensued in the following results.  He is the first or among he first to introduce punctuated equilibrium, neocatastrophism, and eventostratigraphy into China,  He set forth the viewpoint of saltationism in geological evolution. His researches on the mass extinction and eventostratigraphy at Palaeonzoic/Mesozoic boundary have been repeatedly cited in literature. He was the coauthor of the first textbook of paleoecology in Chinese, the editor of The plaeobiogeography of China, the English edition of which was published in Oxford Biogeography Series, and he published the first paleoecological monograph of China. He wrote a book on organism-organic matter-organic fluid-biometallogenesis system. He also promoted the non-Smith stratigraphy and initiated its application in geological mapping.  He has described nearly 300 fossil species with 80+ plates, made major contributions in the Triassic of Guizhou, Qinghai and Gansu Provinces, and summarized the Triassic of China and East Asia.  He initiated the new definition of Permian-Triassic Boundary and the volcanic origin of P/T Boundary Clay, led the international investigation of the PTB research and finally succeeded in establishment of the Global PTB Stratotype in Changxing, Zhejiang Province. His three books concerning PTB research has been published in Cambridge Univ. Press and Elsevier. He is currently involved in the research of the earth's surface system, past and present. Publications: 190 papers and 22 books.