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A C A D E M I C I A N T I B O R K O L B E N H E Y E R : S I X T I E T H B I R T H D A Y

On September 12, 1977 the distinguished Czechoslovakian geophysicist, Academician Tibor Kolbenheyer, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, member of the Presidium of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague, member of the Presidium of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, Professor of the Faculty of Sciences of the P. J. ~af~irik University in Kogice and Head of the Department of Theoretical Physics and Geophysics, will have concluded the 60th year of his fruitful life. He has devoted all his faculties and exceptional capabilities to scientific pedagogical and organizational work and, with a view to the res~alts he has achieved, he is justifiably called the founder of modern geophysics in Slovakia.

He was born in Rimavskgt Sobota. He began his university studies at the Faculty of Sciences of the Charles University in Prague in 1935 and concluded them at the university in Budapest in 1940, graduating in mathematics, physics and astronomy. He worked in Budapest until 1947 and produced his first scientific papers at this time. After returning to Czechoslovakia, he worked in Bratislava as a geophysicist in the Slovakian Central Institute of Geology (1948--1951) and later in the Institute for Ore Research (195t--1952). At the time the Slovak Academy of Sciences was founded in 1953, he contributed actively to the founding of the Geophysical Laboratory of the SAS in Bratislava and, as extramural director, he headed it until 1962. He performed a large amount of creditable work in founding the College of Mines of the Technical University in Kogice, where held the position of dean t953--1954 and later of Rector of the University (1955--1963). In 1956 he was elected Corresponding member of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) and in 1960 Corresponding Member of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (CSAS). Since 1965 he has been a member of the Presidium of the SAS. In 1966 he started working at the newly

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founded Faculty of Sciences of the P. J. ~af~irik University" in Kogice and became Head of the Department of Theoretical Physics and Geophysics. He was Dean of the Faculty from 1969 to 1972. In 1972 he was appointed Academician of the CSAS and member of the Presidium of the CSAS, In 1973 he became Academician of the SAS.

Kolbenheyer's initial papers in the field of geophysics were already associated with the requi- rements of social practice. He carried out gravimetric, magnetic and electrical observations with tho purpose of finding utility minerals. His profound knowledge of mathematical physics and, in particular, of the theory of geophysical fields enabled him to carry out interpretations of geo- physical measurements of a high standard and, as a result of profound theoretical analysis, select the correct method for research work. Evidence of this can be found in his theoetical and practical papers which, together, led to the discovery of an important deposit of magnesite in Podrecany. He was awarded the State Prize for this discovery.

As the first director of the geophysical establishment of the SAS he provided it with a firm and perspective scientific orientation for the purpose of treating theoretically demanding and practically important problems of geophysical methods of interpretation and at the same time also gave it the scope to develop other geophysical disciplines in accordance with the possibility of developing the establishment a n d the preparedness of the personnel. Professor Kotbenheyer is justifiably called the founder of the so-called Sl0vak Geophysical School.

In domestic and foreign journals he published Over 60 scientific papers, devoted to the theory of geophysical fields, particularly the electrical, gravity and magnetic. He solved a whole series of important problems of the resistivity method, worked out a new method for computing the gravitational effect of bodies of various shapes with the aid of surface and line integrals and also applied it to the treatment of inhomogeneous problems in the field of magnetometry. He derived a simple method of analytical continuation of the gravity field, defined on the Earth's surface, into the lower halfspace, for two-dimensional fields. He derived principally new methods of solving the inhomogeneous three-dimensional direct problem of gravimetry with the aid of Bicadze's integral theorem, on the one hand, and on the basis of analytical matrices (four-vectors) of Moisil and Theodorescu, on the other. In this way he introduced into tile theory of geophysical potential fields a modern mathematical procedure which had not been previously employed. It was also used to solve the inhomogeneous three-dimensional magnetometric problem and to work out a general procedure for the analytical continuation of the external field into the internal region. These results of his have a fundamental significance and became an important tool in solving the inverse three-dimensional problem using the localization of external field singularities.

As tutor of post-graduate students (domestic and foreign) and also as university professor, he educated a whole generation of geophysicists in Slovakia. Considerable credit is due to him for geophysical institutions in Slovakia securing a firm hold in the international scientific programme of multilateral co-operation of the academies of sciences of the socialist countries in the field of planetary geophysics (KAPG). As deputy chairman of the Czechoslovak Commitee for the Research and Peaceful Exploitation of Cosmic Space, INTERKOSMOS, he played his part in the successes achieved and in expanding the participation of the institutions of the Slovak Acade- my of Sciences in this programme.

For exceptional merit in scientific, pedagogical and organizational work he was awarded numerous distinctions: in 1962 the Order of Labour, in 1972 the Honorary Plaquet of Dionysius Stur for Merit in the Sciences, that same year the Golden Medal of the P. J. Safgtrik University in Ko~ice, as well as the Medal of the Technical University in Ko~ice, and in t976 the J. A. Comenius Medal.

The Editorial Board, together with all his friends, whose friendship Academician Kolbenheyer achieved through his profound human approach, his kindness, unselfish scientific work, modesty and firm character, wish him good health and a lot of success in scientific work in favour of the multilateral development of our society for his future years.

Editorial Board

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