Albert Auguste Cochon de Lapparent (30 December 18395 May 1908) was a French
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
.
Life
He was born at
Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...
. After studying at the
École polytechnique
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
from 1858 to 1860 he became ''ingénieur au corps des mines'', and took part in drawing up the
geological map
A geologic map or geological map is a special-purpose map made to show various geological features. Rock (geology), Rock units or stratum, geologic strata are shown by color or symbols. Bed (geology), Bedding planes and structural features such ...
of France; and in 1875 he was appointed professor of geology and mineralogy at the
Catholic Institute
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. In 1879 he prepared an important memoir for the geological survey of France on the
Pays de Bray
The Pays de Bray (, literally ''Land of Bray'') is a small (about 750 km²) natural region of France situated to the north-east of Rouen, straddling the French departments of the Seine-Maritime and the Oise (historically divided among the ...
, a subject on which he had already published several memoirs, and in 1880 he served as president of the
Société Géologique de France
Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA.
Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...
. In 1881-1883 he published his ''Traité de géologie'', a well-regarded textbook of
stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock (geology), rock layers (Stratum, strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary rock, sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigrap ...
.
His other works include ''Cours de minéralogie'' (1884), ''La formation des combustibles minéraux'' (1886), ''Le niveau de la mer et ses variations'' (1886), ''Les tremblements de terre'' (1887), ''La géologie en chemin de fer'' (1888), ''Précis de minéralogie'' (1888), ''Le siècle du fer'' (1890), ''Les anciens glaciers'' (1893), ''Leçons de géographie physique'' (1896), ''Notions générales sur l'écorce terrestre'' (1897), ''Le globe terrestre'' (1899), and ''Science et apologétique'' (1905).
With
Achille Delesse
Achille Ernest Oscar Joseph Delesse (3 February 181724 March 1881) was a French geologist and mineralogist. He is credited for inventing the Delesse principle in stereology.
Education and career
Delesse was born at Metz. At the age of twenty ...
he was for many years editor of the ''
Revue de géologie
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...
'' and contributed to the ''
Extraits de géologie'', and he joined with
Alfred Potier
Alfred Potier (11 May 1840, in Paris – 8 May 1905, in Paris) was a French polymath who contributed to many theoretical and practical fields of science when this was rapidly expanding. His interests covered mainly mathematical physics, the natur ...
in the geological surveys undertaken in connection with the
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
proposals.
He died in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1908.
Notes
References
*
Catholic Encyclopedia article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapparent, Albert Auguste Cochon de
1839 births
1908 deaths
Scientists from Bourges
École Polytechnique alumni
Channel Tunnel
French geologists
Presidents of Société géologique de France
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
Members of the Ligue de la patrie française