André Hubert Dumont (15 February 180928 February 1857) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

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, althoug ...

. Dumont was born in Liège. His first work was a masterly ''Mémoire'' on the geology of the province of Liège published in 1832. A few years later he became a professor of mineralogy and

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

and afterwards Rector of the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

. He subsequently turned his attention to the mineralogical and stratigraphical description of the geological formations in Belgium. The names given by him to many subdivisions of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

and

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

have been adopted. This cites Memoir by Major-General J. E. Portlock in ''Address to Geol. Soc.'' (London, 1858). His ''Mémoire sur les terrains ardennais et rhénan de l'Ardenne, du Brabant et du Condroz'' (1847–1848) is notable for the care with which the mineralogy of the strata was described, but the palaeontological characterization was insufficient, and neither did he adopt the terms Silurian or Devonian. 1875 Dumont's geological map of Europe

During twenty years he laboured on a

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 Belgium (1849). He spared no pains to make his work as complete as possible, examining—on foot—almost every area of importance in the country. Journeying to the more southern parts of Europe, he investigated the shores of the Bosphorus, the mountains of Spain and other regions, thereby collecting material for his geological map of Europe. This latter work of outstanding scholarship was one of the first serious attempts to establish the regional-scale geological correlation between the various countries of Europe. The

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

awarded him in 1840 the

Wollaston medal The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London. The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831. It was originally made of gold (1831–1845), ...

. He died in Liège. His son, also André Dumont (1847–1920), discovered coal in the Campine basin on 1 August 1901.

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Further reading