Engineer Nasrollah Khadem (born 1910, died 1999) was one of the first prominent geological experts in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. He is the founder of the

Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran The Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran or in brief GSI is a government agency responsible for conducting geological and mineral surveys throughout the country, collecting the results of activities carried out in this field, establis ...

. He played a major role in the development of

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 Ear ...

science and

Mining engineering Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

in Iran. Through his efforts, important mines were discovered and exploited in Iran.

Life and education

Nasrollah Khadem was born on 1910 in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. He spent his primary education there and after receiving a diploma from ''Elmieh'' High School of Tehran, in 1933, he left for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with the last group sent abroad by government to educate there. In France, he entered the

Mines ParisTech Mines Paris - PSL, officially École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris (until May 2022 Mines ParisTech, also known as École des mines de Paris, ENSMP, Mines de Paris, les Mines, or Paris School of Mines), is a French grande école and a c ...

, which has a great reputation in the field of mining. In 1939, at the age of 28, he graduated from this college in field of

and returned to Iran.

Careers

After returning to Iran, he went to military service. After completing his military service, he was hired by the government and held various positions in

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 Ear ...

and

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

. Respectively, he served in the positions: * As an engineer in

Shemshak Shemshak darbandsar ( fa, شمشک دربندسر) is a city in Rudbar-e Qasran District, Shemiranat County, Tehran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 2,383, in 702 families. A suburb of Tehran, the city of Shemshak darban ...

Coal Mines * Supervision of private mines in

Alborz Province Alborz Province ( fa, استان البرز, ''Ostān-e Alborz'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran.Hormozgan Province and Qeshm Island Mines * Member of the Board of Directors of the Total Mining and Metal Melting Joint Stock Company * CEO of the Total Mining and Metal Melting Joint Stock Company * Founder and head of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI) In parallel with these technical and administrative jobs, he also taught geology at the

Faculty of Science Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warrant ...

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. His last job was as the head of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI), from which he retired in October 1974 at the age of 64.

Foundation of the Geological Survey of Iran

In 1961, at the age of 50, he took charge of the establishment of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI). With the efforts of Nasrollah Khadem, the law establishing of GSI was approved by

National Consultative Assembly The National Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای ملی, Mad̲j̲les-e s̲h̲ūrā-ye mellī) or simply Majles, was the national legislative body of Iran from 1906 to 1979. It was elected by universal suffrage, excluding the armed for ...

and Senate of Iran, and Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI) officially started its work in 1962. In a short period of time, the basic knowledge of geology of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI) was expanded and attracted the attention of world circles. In 1974, in the Commission for the Geological Map of the World or in brief CGWM, which was established 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 ...

, despite the decades of experience of geological organizations of other countries in the region, preparation and integration of geological maps of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

was entrusted to the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI). Currently, the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI) is implementing 6 of the 23 projects approved by the commission, and 6 projects are being implemented in cooperation with the GSI. Responsibility for Middle East projects has been delegated to the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI) by the Commission.

Death

Nasrollah Khadem died on May 5, 1999, at the age of 89 in Tehran, Iran. He was buried in

Behesht-e Zahra Behesht-e Zahra ( fa, بهشت زهرا, lit. ''The Paradise of Zahra'', from Fatima az-Zahra) is the largest cemetery in Iran. Located in the southern part of metropolitan Tehran, it is connected to the city by Tehran Metro Line 1. History In ...

Memorial

''An orthorhombic-dipyramidal

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...

containing

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

, and

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

'' with chemical formula ''Al(SO4)F•5(H2O)'' was named Khademite in memorial of Nasrollah Khadem. The mineral was discovered by Barian, Bertelon and Sadrzadeh in

Saghand Saghand ( fa, ساغند, also Romanized as Sāghand; also known as Sagand and Sāqand) is a village in Rabatat Rural District, Kharanaq District, Ardakan County, Yazd Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...

Rabatat Rural District , native_name_lang = fa , settlement_type = Rural District , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_alt ...

Kharanaq District , native_name_lang = fa , settlement_type = District , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_alt = ...

Ardakan County Ardakan County ( fa, شهرستان اردکان) is located in Yazd province, Iran. The capital of the county is Ardakan Ardakan ( fa, اردكان, also romanized as Ardakān and Artagan) is the capital city of Ardakan County, Yazd Province ...

, Yazd Province,

in 1962, and was named in honor of Nasrollah Khadem, then head of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran (GSI).

References

External links

Nasrollah Khadem on NeglectedScience

The 50 -Year- activity of the Geological Survey of Iran

Iranian Journal of Earth Sciences

Khademite: Rare Mineral - e-Rocks Mineral Auctions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khadem, Nasrollah Geology of Iran People from Tehran 1910 births 1999 deaths Iranian geologists Mines Paris - PSL alumni