Ivan Tolstoy

Ivan Tolstoy (March 30, 1923– February 18, 2023) was an American geophysicist and popular science writer. His research interests included seafloor geology and topography, seismology, ocean and atmospheric acoustics and seismic wave propagation. and enrolled at Columbia University for graduate studies (MA in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1951).

He is credited for the discovery of T phases in underwater seismology (1950) and for the mapping of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) life member

Personal He had three children, all US born: from the first marriage to Mary Louise Simon: Alexandra (1947); from the second marriage to Margie Lugthart: Eline Tolstoy (1965), Maya Tolstoy (1967). Since 1975 he lived in Knockvennie, Castle Douglas, Scotland. Both marriages ended in divorces and his last companion was Maureen Biggar.