Marie Morisawa

Marie Morisawa (November 2, 1919 – June 10, 1994) was an American geomorphologist. Morisawa was an integral part of the revolution in the field that began in the 1950s. She studied the geomorphology of rivers, active fault zones, plate tectonics, coastal geomorphology, geological hazards, and environmental geomorphology.

Morisawa was born on November 2, 1919 and died in a single-car accident on June 10, 1994. She was born in Toledo, Ohio to a Japanese father and an American mother. She earned a B.S. in mathematics from Hunter College in 1941, with a minor in chemistry. She then earned an M.A. in theology before turning to geology and obtaining an M.S. from University of Wyoming in 1952. She taught at Bryn Mawr College from 1955 to 1959. In 1960 she earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University. Arthur Newell Strahler was the advisor for her doctoral work on the quantitative geomorphology of Pennsylvania streams.[ Morisawa's desire to understand the natural world becomes apparent when considering her varied academic pursuits. She had a love for plants, animals, the beauty and aesthetic value of landscapes.

Books

• Our Geologic Environment as well as Streams: Their Dynamics and Morphology in 1968.
• Rivers: Form and Process in 1971
• Geomorphology Laboratory Manual in 1977