 He is the youngest ever recipient of the Maurice Ewing Medal of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, having received this award in 1992 for lifetime achievements when he was in his early fifties.Asteroid 156990 Claerbout, discovered by Joseph A. Dellinger at George Observatory in 2003, was named in his honor.The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 17 May 2011 ().