Ted Ringwood

Early life and study Ringwood was born in Kew, only child of Alfred Edward Ringwood. He attended Hawthorn West State School where he played cricket and Australian Rules football. In 1943 he was successful in gaining a scholarship to Geelong Grammar School where he boarded. On matriculation, he enrolled in Geology a science degree at the University of Melbourne where he held a Commonwealth Government Scholarship, and was awarded a resident scholarship at Trinity College. He represented the college and the university in football. He obtained First Class Honours degree in Geology and began a MSc degree in field-mapping and petrology of the Devonian Snowy River volcanics of northeastern Victoria, graduating with Honours in 1953. Ringwood then undertook a PhD, beginning an experimental study about the origin of metalliferous ore deposits, but later changed his research topic so as to apply geochemistry to an understanding of the structure of the Earth, in particular the mineralogical constitution of the Earth's mantle. A team from the University of Alberta have isolated terrestrial ringwoodite in a brown diamond specimen found in Brazil in 2008. Their research suggests the presence of water deep within the Earth's mantle.

Later life In 1978, his ANU team invented synroc, a possible means of safely storing and disposing of radioactive waste.

Ringwood died of lymphoma on 12 November 1993 at the age of 63.

Honours Ringwood received numerous honours and awards for his work. 1972 Werner medal 1974 Arthur L. Day Medal 1974 William Bowie Medal 1975 Mueller Medal 1978 Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture 1985 Arthur Holmes Medal 1988 Wollaston Medal 1991 Feltrinelli Prize 1991 V. M. Goldschmidt Award 1992 Clarke Medal 1993 Jaeger Medal 1993 Harry H. Hess Medal

Fellowships

Selected publications