Hans Henrik Reusch (5 September 1852 – 27 October 1922) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

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 ...

geomorphologist Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or ...

and educator. He served as director of the

Geological Survey of Norway Geological Survey of Norway ( no, Norges geologiske undersøkelse), abbreviation: ''NGU'', is a Norwegian government agency responsible for geologic mapping and research. The agency is located in Trondheim with an office in Tromsø, with about ...

Biography

Born in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

, he was educated at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

and

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...

. He graduated

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

at the

University of Christiania The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

(now University of Oslo) in 1883. He was married to the painter Helga Marie Ring Reusch He joined the

in 1875, and was its Director from 1888 to 1921. He was a Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

(1897–98). He is distinguished for his research on the

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

line

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...

s and the Palaeozoic rocks of Norway. He discovered Silurian

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s in the highly altered rocks of the Bergen region; and in 1891 he called attention to the so-called "

Reusch's Moraine The Smalfjord diamictite, Bigganjargga Tillite or Reusch's Moraine is a diamictite in Finnmark, northern Norway. The rock was first identified as a tillite by Hans Reusch in 1891, hence its name. The tillite overlies sandstone whose contact surfac ...

" a Precambrian conglomerate of

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

origin in the

Varanger Fjord The Varangerfjord ( en, Varanger Fjord; russian: Варангер-фьорд, Варяжский залив; fi, Varanginvuono; sme, Várjavuonna) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Troms og Finnmark co ...

, a view confirmed by A. Strahan in 1896, who found glacial striations on the rocks beneath the ancient boulder-bed. Reusch has likewise thrown light on the later geological periods, on the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

glacial phenomena and on the sculpturing of the scenery of Norway. In 1877 Reusch founded a popular science magazine, ''

Naturen ''Naturen'' ( en, Nature) is a Norwegian popular science magazine, which has been published since 1877 in Bergen, Norway. It is the earliest still running popular science magazine of the country. History and profile ''Naturen'' was started by t ...

''. He edited it for the first four years. Among his separate publications were ''Silurfossiler og pressede Konglomerater'' (1882) and ''Det nordlige Norges Geologi'' (1891). He chaired the

Norwegian Geographical Society The Norwegian Geographical Society (in Norwegian: Det norske geografiske Selskab) is a Norwegian learned society founded in 1889. Among the initiators was geologist Hans Henrik Reusch, who chaired the society from 1898 to 1903, and again from 1907 ...

from 1898 to 1903, and from 1907 to 1909. In 1900 he was among the founders of the Norwegian association of book artwork (''Foreningen for norsk bokkunst''). In 1907, his honorary doctorate was awarded at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. In 1922, he served as the first chairman of the Norwegian Association of Bibliophiles (''Bibliofiklubben''). Reusch died at

Hvalstad Station Hvalstad Station ( no, Hvalstad stasjon) is a railway station of the Drammen Line located at Hvalstad in Asker, Norway. Situated from Oslo Central Station, it consists of an island platform and serves the L1 line of the Oslo Commuter Rail operat ...

while attempting to enter a train. At the time of his death, his large private library of books encompassed 12 000 volumes. He is commemorated by the

Reusch Medal The Reusch Medal ( no, Reusch-medaljen) is a medal awarded by the Norwegian Geological Society to young researchers in recognition of a high-quality treatise on geology. It has been awarded since 4 January 1926 in honor of the geologist Hans Henrik ...

, awarded by the

Norwegian Geological Society The Norwegian Geological Society (in Norwegian: Norsk Geologisk Forening) is a Norwegian learned society founded in 1905. Among the founders was geologist Hans Henrik Reusch, who also was the first chairman of the society. The society publishes t ...

. Reusch Glacier in Antarctica, Reuschhalvøya and Reuschfjellet on Svalbard were also named in his honor.

References

Note

External links

Nasjonalbiblioteket
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reusch, Hans Henrik 1852 births 1922 deaths Scientists from Bergen People educated at the Bergen Cathedral School Heidelberg University alumni Leipzig University alumni University of Oslo alumni 19th-century Norwegian geologists 20th-century Norwegian geologists Norwegian geomorphologists Lyell Medal winners Norwegian book and manuscript collectors Railway accident deaths in Norway Norwegian magazine founders