Jean Alphonse Favre (31 March 1815 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

– 11 July 1890 in Pregny) was a Swiss

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 ...

. He was a pioneer of alpine geology and became director of the Swiss Geological Commission ''(Schweizerische Geologische Kommission)'', which was charged with creating the geological map of Switzerland. He studied natural sciences at the Academy of Geneva (1831–37), then chemistry and

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

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 ...

(1839). From 1844 to 1852 he taught classes in geology and

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

at the Academy of Geneva, where he was a professor for many years. In 1888, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society. He specialized in geological research of the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

and

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...

, that included studies of ancient glaciers associated with those regions. His explanation of the geological structure showed that certain anomalous incidents of fossils were due to recurring interfoldings of the strata and to complex overthrust faults.

Selected works

* ''Remarques sur les anthracites des Alpes'', 1841 – Remarks on

anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...

s of the Alps. * ''Considérations géologiques sur le mont Salève, et sur les terrains des environs de Genève'', 1843 – Geological considerations on Mount

Salève The Salève (), or Mont Salève, is a mountain of the French Prealps located in the department of Haute-Savoie in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is also called the "Balcony of Geneva" (French: ''Balcon de Genève''). Geography Geographically, the S ...

, and the land surrounding Geneva. * ''Observations sur la position relative des terrains des Alpes suisses occidentales et des Alpes de la Savoie'', 1847 – Observations on the relative position of the terrain of the western Swiss Alps and the Alps of Savoy. * ''Essai sur la géologie des montagnes placées entre la chaîne du Jura et le lac de Genève'', 1850 – Essay on the geology of the mountains located between the Jura chain and

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. * ''Mémoire sur les terrains liasique et keupérien de la Savoie'', 1859 – On the Liassic and

Keuper The Keuper is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Keuper consists of dolomite, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late ...

ian terrain of Savoy. * ''Recherches géologiques dans les parties de la Savoie, du Piémont et de la Suisse voisines du Mont-Blanc'', 1867 – Geological research involving parts of Savoy, the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and the Swiss environs of Mont Blanc. * ''H.-B. de Saussure et les Alpes'', 1870 – Horace-Bénédict de Saussure and the Alps. * ''Description géologie du canton de Genève'' (with Eugène Risler, 1879) – Geological description of the

canton of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...

.Favre, Alphonse (1815-1890)
IdRef

Honours

Favre Bjerg in

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

was named after him by fellow Swiss geologist Heinrich Bütler (1893–1983).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Favre, Alphonse 1815 births 1890 deaths Scientists from Geneva 19th-century Swiss geologists Swiss paleontologists Members of the American Philosophical Society