Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky (russian: Александр Петрович Карпинский, trl. Aljeksandr Pjetrovič Karpinskij; 7 January 1847 ( NS) – 15 July 1936) was a prominent Russian and Soviet geologist and mineralogist, and the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and later Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in 1917–1936.

Biography

Karpinsky was born in Turyinskiye Rudniki, Perm Governorate (now Krasnoturyinsk,

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg, formerly known as S ...

), in the Ural Mountains, into a family of mining engineers. From 1857 to 1866 he studied at the mining school in St. Petersburg, and in 1863-1866 he also attended the Mineralogical Institute. From 1866 to 1869 he worked in his home area in the Urals as a mining engineer. He was invited to the Mining Institute, St. Petersburg in 1869 as an Assistant Professor, whilst also doing further studies and research. He was given full professorship in 1877. He stayed there until 1885. He was the imperial director of mining research from 1885 to 1916. Karpinsky was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1886, was elected its president in May 1917, and held this title until his death. His main research was chiefly done in the Ural Mountains, and he completed the first geological map of

European Russia European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...

. He was able to preserve much scientific equipment and many invaluable records during the turmoil, and looting, of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. Karpinsky died on 15 July 1936 in Moscow, at the age of 89 and was cremated and an urn with his ashes lies in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Moscow, and is the oldest (by the date of birth) person to be so.

Publications

*''An Outline of Physical Geography of European Russia in Past Geological Periods'' *''The General Character of the Changes in the Earth's Crust within the bounds of European Russia''

Named in his honor

*The mineral karpinskiteKarpinskite
mindat.org *The

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

crater Crater may refer to: Landforms *Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet *Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...

Karpinsky *The Karpinsky Group of volcanoes on Paramushir Island in the

Kurils The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...

* Karpinsky Glacier, Severnaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic *

Mount Karpinsky, Urals Mount Karpinsky, or Karpinsky Mountain, is a peak in the circumpolar part of the Ural Mountains. It is part of the Research Range, and lies on the boundary between the Komi Republic and the Tyumen Oblast. Rising to a height of 1878 m, it is compo ...

at 1878 m lies between the Tyumen Oblast and the Komi Republic in Russia *The town of Karpinsk,

on the east side of the Urals * Karpinsky Russian Geology Research Institute *in 1947 (on the centenary of his birth) the Academy of Sciences of the USSR created the Karpinsky Gold Medal, awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of geology.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karpinsky, Alexander Petrovich 1847 births 1936 deaths People from Krasnoturyinsk People from Verkhotursky Uyezd Russian geologists Russian mineralogists Soviet geologists Antarctic scientists Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1917–1925) Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Presidents of the USSR Academy of Sciences Wollaston Medal winners Burials at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis