M. King Hubbert

Marion King Hubbert (October 5, 1903 – October 11, 1989) was a geophysicist who worked at the Shell research lab in Houston, Texas. He made several important contributions to geology and geophysics, most notably the Hubbert curve, with important political ramifications. He was often referred to as "M. King Hubbert" or "King Hubbert".

Research

Hubbert made several contributions to geophysics, including a mathematical demonstration that rock in the Earth's crust, because it is under immense pressure in large areas, should exhibit plasticity, similar to clay. This demonstration explained the observed results that the Earth' s crust deforms over time. He also studied the flow of underground fluids.

Related Topics:
Rock - Earth's crust - Plasticity - Clay - Underground fluid

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Hubbert is most well-known for his studies on the capacities of oil fields and natural gas reserves. He predicted that the petroleum production of a reserve over time would resemble a bell curve, peaking when half of the petroleum has been extracted, and then falling off. At the 1956 meeting of the American Petroleum Institute in San Antonio, Texas, Hubbert made the prediction that overall oil production would peak in the United States in the late 1960s to the early 1970s. He became famous when this prediction came true in 1970. The curve he used in his analysis is known as the Hubbert curve, and the peak of the curve is known as the Hubbert peak.

Related Topics:
Oil field - Natural gas - Bell curve - American Petroleum Institute - United States - 1960s - 1970s - Hubbert curve - Hubbert peak

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Between October 17, 1973, and March 1974, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) ceased shipments of petroleum to the United States, causing what has been called the 1973 energy crisis. In 1975, with the United States still suffering from high oil prices, the National Academy of Sciences confirmed their acceptance of Hubbert's calculations on oil and natural gas depletion, and acknowledged that their earlier, more optimistic estimates had been incorrect. This gathered great media attention for Hubbert.

Related Topics:
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries - 1973 energy crisis - National Academy of Sciences

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Originally convinced that solar power was too diffuse to be used, by 1988 at age 85 Hubbert had reversed his position and believed that solar power would be a practical replacement for fossil fuels.

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