American geophysicist Peter Molnar wins Crafoord science prize for plate motion research

The Crafoord Prize in Astronomy and Mathematics, Biosciences, Geosciences or Polyarthritis research is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. At 4 million Swedish krona, it is one of the world's largest scientific prizes. (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

STOCKHOLM – American scientist Peter Molnar has been awarded the 2014 Crafoord Prize in Geosciences for a groundbreaking contribution to the understanding of the driving forces behind plate motions and the place of continents in earth's evolution.

The prize jury said Molnar, a professor in geological sciences at the University of Colorado, innovatively combined geological and geophysical methods of inquiry with satellite measurements and modeling and paved the way to a new understanding of the formation of mountain ranges and their role in global tectonics.

The 4 million kronor ($620,000) prize is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to honor achievements not always covered by its more famous Nobel Prizes. It was named after Holger Crafoord, the Swede who designed the first artificial kidney.