Mervyn Paterson exploited a background in metallurgical engineering and the physics of metals as the basis for a long and influential career in earth sciences, mainly at the Australian National University. Recognising the need for specialized equipment for experimental rock deformation, Mervyn made a highly distinctive contribution through his design and construction of a series of machines of progressively increasing sophistication for laboratory studies of the mechanical behaviour of rocks under conditions of high pressure and temperature. The new insights thus obtained in the laboratory have found widespread application in understanding the behaviour of the Earth’s crust and underlying mantle, notably within the disciplines of structural geology and geodynamics.

Mervyn Paterson 利用冶金工程和金属物理学的背景作为长期而有影响力的地球科学职业的基础，主要在澳大利亚国立大学任职。认识到对实验岩石变形的专用设备的需求，默文通过他设计和建造了一系列机器做出了非常独特的贡献，这些机器逐渐变得越来越复杂，用于在高压和高温条件下进行岩石力学行为的实验室研究。因此在实验室中获得的新见解已广泛应用于了解地壳和下伏地幔的行为，特别是在结构地质学和地球动力学学科中。