Philippe Thomas (4 May 1843 – 12 February 1910) was a French veterinarian and amateur geologist who discovered large deposits of phosphates in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
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.
Despite the huge economic importance of his discovery, he received little recognition during his life.
Monuments to Thomas in Tunisia were destroyed after the country gained independence.
Career
Early years (1843–85)
Philippe Thomas was born in
Duerne, Rhône on 4 May 1843.
He attended the
École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort
The National veterinary school of Alfort ( or ''ENVA'') is a French public institution of scientific research and higher education in veterinary medicine, located in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne, close to Paris. It is operated under the superv ...
, where he was a brilliant student, and the
Cavalry School.
He was named an Army Veterinarian in 1865.
He was assigned to Algeria but returned to France at the start of the
Franco-Prussian War (1870) and fought in various engagements.
He returned to Algeria after the war and took part in suppression of the revolt in the
Kabylie
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of the ...
in 1871.
In his spare time, he studied geology, paleontology, and other scientific disciplines.
Thomas became a qualified geologist.
Thomas classified the succession of
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
rocks in Algeria from the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
coast to the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
, a succession that he would again find in southern Tunisia.
In 1873, in the M'Fatah massif of Algeria Thomas was the first to discover the existence of phosphated nodules from the lower Eocene.
In 1875, he studied the fluvio-lacustrine terrains of the
Upper Tertiary
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya ...
and
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
, and published a series of notes on palaeontology and palaeoethnology.
The first, on "Buhalus Antiqus" appeared in the Bulletin of the Climatological Society of Algiers.
In the same bulletin, he reported the discovery of a prehistoric workshop in Hassi-El-M'Kadden, near
Ouargla
Ouargla ( Berber: Wargrən, ar, ورقلة) is the capital city of Ouargla Province in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing petroleum industry and hosts one of Algeria's universities, the University of Ouargla. The commune ...
.
In 1876, the Société des Sciences physiques, naturelles et climatologiques d'Alger recognized his work between 1868 and 1875 in geology and palaeontology by awarding him a silver medal.
This was soon followed by his admission to 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 ...
.
Between 1880 and 1884, Thomas published several papers on his Algerian research, and with the mining engineer
Jules Tissot (1838–83) investigated the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
formations in the
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
region, where Tissot suspected the presence of
calcium pyrophosphate
Calcium pyrophosphate (Ca2P2O7) is a chemical compound, an insoluble calcium salt containing the pyrophosphate anion. There are a number of forms reported: an anhydrous form, a dihydrate, Ca2P2O7·2H2O and a tetrahydrate, Ca2P2O7·4H2O. Deposition ...
.
Thomas was the first to discover phosphates in the province of
Ras El Aioun
Ras El Aioun (Arabic:رأس العيون, Algerian Arabic pronunciation: راس لعيون Ras Layoun, French: ''Ras El Aïoun'') is a town in northeastern Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
...
, Algeria.
Tunisian Scientific Exploration Mission (1885–86)
![Monument de Philippe Thomas, a Tunis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Monument_de_Philippe_Thomas%2C_a_Tunis.jpg)
In 1882,
Jules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry (; 5 April 183217 March 1893) was a French statesman and republican philosopher. He was one of the leaders of the Moderate Republicans and served as Prime Minister of France from 1880 to 1881 and 1883 to 1885. He ...
, Minister of Public Instruction, decided to create a mission to explore the Regency of Tunisia.
The expedition was headed by the botanist
Ernest Cosson
Ernest Saint-Charles Cosson (22 July 1819 – 31 December 1889) was a French botanist born in Paris.
Cosson is known for his botanical research in North Africa, and during his career he participated in eight trips to Algeria. In several of these ...
, who had already undertaken eight study trips in Algeria between 1852 and 1880.
It included the botanist
Napoléon Doumet-Adanson
Napoléon Doumet-Adanson (22 October 1834, Guéret – 31 May 1897 Château de Balaine (Villeneuve-sur-Allier) was a French naturalist.
He was a botanist specialising in the flora of Tunisia . He was a founder member of the Société d'horticul ...
and other naturalists.
The botanists undertook their work in 1883 and 1884.
In 1884, a geological section under
Georges Rolland was added to the Tunisian Scientific Exploration Mission.
Rolland was assisted by Philippe Thomas from 1885 and by
Georges Le Mesle in 1887.
Thomas was 42 when he started his exploration of Tunisia.
He was assigned to the expedition at the recommendation of the paleontologist
Jean Albert Gaudry
Jean Albert Gaudry (16 September 1827 – 27 November 1908) was a French geologist and palaeontologist. He was born at St Germain-en-Laye, and was educated at the Catholic Collège Stanislas de Paris. He was a notable proponent of theistic evo ...
, and because Jules Ferry knew his ability and perfect knowledge of the Arabic language.
Rolland covered the centre of the country, while Thomas worked further south and Le Mesle worked mainly in the north, apart from an expedition to the extreme south.
The team gave good descriptions of the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
of the
Zaghouan
Zaghouan (or Zaghwan; ar, زغوان '' ; ber, ⵣⴻⵖⵡⴰⵏ / Zeɣwan)'' is a town in the northern half of Tunisia.
Situated on a low ridge of the Dorsale Mountains, the town has a mild climate and presents a green aspect. Cold water ...
region and the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
of the
Maktar
Maktar or Makthar ( ar, مكثر), also known by other names during antiquity, is a town and archaeological site in Siliana Governorate, Tunisia.
Maktar was founded by the Berber Numidians as a defense post against Carthaginian expansion. At th ...
and
Kairouan
Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( ar, ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, al-Qayrawān , aeb, script=Latn, Qeirwān ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by th ...
regions.
In 1885–86, Thomas explored the southern area of Tunisia between the meridian of
Kairouan
Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( ar, ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, al-Qayrawān , aeb, script=Latn, Qeirwān ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by th ...
and the Saharan
chott
In geology, a chott, shott, or shatt (; ar, شط, šaṭṭ, lit=bank, coast) is a salt lake in Africa's Maghreb that stays dry for much of the year but receives some water in the winter. The elevation of a chott surface is controlled by the pos ...
s, covering a vast area. He also explored the western area, which his colleagues had neglected, particularly the
Chaîne du Thaljah or Chaîne du Tseldja mountains that stretch westward from
Gafsa
Gafsa ( aeb, ڨفصة '; ar, قفصة qafṣah), originally called Capsa in Latin, is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. It lends its Latin name to the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 111,170, Gafsa is the ninth-la ...
into Algeria.
He identified the geology of the Gafsa chain with that of the M'fatah massif in Algeria and on 18 April 1885 found phosphates at Jebel Tselja.
He found a brown or greenish gray limestone that on average contains 60%
tricalcium phosphate
Tricalcium phosphate (sometimes abbreviated TCP) is a calcium salt of phosphoric acid with the chemical formula Ca3(PO4)2. It is also known as tribasic calcium phosphate and bone phosphate of lime (BPL). It is a white solid of low solubility. Mo ...
near
Métlaoui
Métlaoui ( aeb, متلوي ') is a town and commune in the Gafsa Governorate, Tunisia. In 2014 it had a population of 38,634.[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 th ...]
limestone axis of the mountains joins the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
foundations.
Thomas crossed the Chaîne du Tseldja through the dramatic gorges of the Oued and found identical phosphate deposits on the southern slope of the range extending for at least .
Thomas sent rock samples to the
École des Mines de Paris
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 ...
for analysis, and on receiving the results on 18 October 1885, informed Dr. Cosson, head of the mission.
The discovery had great economic and agricultural importance.
With Cosson's authorization, he informed the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...
on 7 December 1885.
He completed his observations in the 1886 exploration campaign in southern and central Tunisia up to
Kalaat es Senam
Kalaat es Senam, Kalaat Senan, or Kalâat Snan (Tunisian Arabic: قلعة سنان) is a town in western Tunisia in the Kef Governorate. It is the administrative center of Kalaat Senan Delegation and had 15,621 inhabitants ( census). .
Later career (1887–1910)
![Place Philippe Thomas Sfax 1910s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Place_Philippe_Thomas_Sfax_1910s.jpg)
Thomas sent a second note to the Academy of Sciences in 1887 and a third in 1888, in which he described his 1878 observations and the Algerian deposits.
He did not have the time or resources to travel the Dyr of
Tébessa
Tébessa or Tebessa ( ar, تبسة ''Tibissa'', ''Tbessa'' or ''Tibesti''), the classical Theveste, is the capital city of Tébessa Province region of northeastern Algeria. It hosts several historical landmarks, the most important one being the w ...
to confirm the presence of the phosphates that he expected to be found there, but the deposit was found as predicted and was the first to be exploited.
Philippe Thomas published the palaeontology results of the Scientific Exploration Mission in six instalments plus an atlas, giving the work of
Victor-Auguste Gauthier
Victor-Auguste Gauthier (5 March 1837 – 20 February 1911) was a French school teacher and amateur palaeontologist.
He specialized in the study of fossilized sea urchins, contributing meticulous descriptions of many fossils found in southern Fran ...
(
sea urchin
Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...
s),
Arnould Locard (
Mollusca
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
), Auguste Péron (
Brachiopod
Brachiopods (), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of trochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, w ...
s,
Bryozoa
Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...
, and
Pentacrinites
''Pentacrinites'' is an extinct genus of crinoids that lived from the Hettangian to the Bathonian of Asia, Europe, North America, and New Zealand. Their stems are pentagonal to star-shaped in cross-section and are the most commonly preserved par ...
s), and
Henri Émile Sauvage
Henri Émile Sauvage (22 September 1842 in Boulogne-sur-Mer – 3 January 1917 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) was a French paleontologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He was a leading expert on Mesozoic fish and reptiles.[fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...]
).
Thomas was promoted to First Class Veterinarian in 1895.
When he retired, he was made an officer of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
.
In 1898, a member of the Institute of Carthage revived interest in his work.
When the
Sfax
Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean ...
–
Gafsa
Gafsa ( aeb, ڨفصة '; ar, قفصة qafṣah), originally called Capsa in Latin, is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. It lends its Latin name to the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 111,170, Gafsa is the ninth-la ...
railway was inaugurated in 1899, Thomas was made a member of the Tunisian
Order of Glory
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
.
In 1900, he was awarded a small pension of 6,000 francs.
In 1904, he was awarded a Gold Medal by the Geographic Society of France.
Thomas continued to send regular notes on his findings until 1909.
In 1902, the Ministry of Education proposed that Georges Rolland should write up the results of the Scientific Mission, but he refused for health reasons.
The task was given to Thomas, who was now in retirement.
He wrote the ''Essai d'une description géologique de la Tunisie'' with the support of Jean Albert Gaudry,
Alphonse Péron, and Paul Bursaux, technical director of the
Compagnie des phosphates de Gafsa
The Compagnie des phosphates de Gafsa ( ar, شركة فسفاط قفصة, Gafsa Phosphate Company) or CPG is a Tunisian phosphate mining company based in Gafsa, formed in the late 19th century during the French colonial era, and once the largest em ...
.
The first part, an ''Overview of physical geography'', was published in 1907.
The second part, ''Stratigraphy of the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic terrains'', was published in 1908.
Thomas described the great density of marine fauna at the dawn of the Tertiary that had created the layers of phosphates and the coastal fauna of the later
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
layers characterized by the great vertebrates, particularly
Sauria
Sauria is the clade containing the most recent common ancestor of archosaurs (such as crocodilians, dinosaurs, etc.) and lepidosaurs ( lizards and kin), and all its descendants. Since most molecular phylogenies recover turtles as more closely re ...
and giant turtles, and very numerous
Plagiostoma bivalves.
Thomas died before completing the third part of the ''Essai''.
In 1909, when he was dying of disease, the Société des Phosphates de Gafsa awarded him 25,000 francs, to be added to the 6,000 francs life annuity from the Tunisian government.
Philippe Thomas died on 12 February 1910 in
Moulins, Allier
Moulins (; oc, Molins) is a Communes of France, commune in central France, capital of the Allier Departments of France, department. It is located on the river Allier (river), Allier.
Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, t ...
, France at the age of 66.
Legacy
![Monument Philippe Thomas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Monument_Philippe_Thomas.jpg)
The third part of Thomas's ''Essai d'une description géologique de la Tunisie'', which was to have described the
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 ...
formations, was completed and published by his friend, Professor
Léon Pervinquière (1873–1913), holder of the Chair of Geology at the Faculty of Science in Paris.
Émile Haug
Gustave Émile Haug (19 June 1861 - 28 August 1927) was a French geologist and paleontologist known for his contribution to the geosyncline theory.
Career
Émile Haug was born on 19 June 1861.
In 1884 he received his doctorate in natural scie ...
published the ''Essai d'une description géologique de la Tunisie'' after Pervinquiere had also died and presented it to the Geological Society of France in session on 6 April 1914.
The Vétérinaire Général Léon-Paul-Charles Vivien wrote,
On 10 December 1908, the Bey
Muhammad an-Nasir
Muhammad al-Nasir (,'' al-Nāṣir li-dīn Allāh Muḥammad ibn al-Manṣūr'', – 1213) was the fourth Almohad Caliph from 1199 until his death.Évariste Lévi-Provençalal-Nāṣir Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill Online, 2013. ...
gave Philippe Thomas's name to the Metlaoui station in recognition of the prosperity that his discovery of phosphates of lime had brought to the country.
A medallion was placed in front of the station.
A monument with a bust of Thomas by the sculptor
André César Vermare
André-César Vermare (27 November 1869 – 7 August 1949) was a French sculptor, known for his war memorials and monuments.
Biography
Vermare was the son of the sculptor Pierre Vermare. He entered the École nationale des beaux-arts in Lyon i ...
was inaugurated in
Sfax
Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean ...
by
Gabriel Alapetite
Gabriel Ferdinand Alapetite (5 January 1854 – 22 March 1932) was a French senior civil servant and diplomat.
From 1879 to 1906 he was sub-prefect or prefect of various departments of France.
For eleven years from 1906 to 1918 he was Resident-Ge ...
, Resident-General of France in Tunisia on 26 April 1913.
Alapetite inaugurated another monument in honour of Thomas in Tunis on 29 May 1913.
Thomas's bust in Sfax and that of the olive-grower
Paul Anthelme Bourde were thrown down and shattered on the night of 3–4 January 1957.
The monument in Tunis was toppled soon after.
The fragments of the bust were recovered and sent to France, where they are held in the Philippe Thomas room in the
Compiègne
Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''.
Administration
Compiègne is the seat of two cantons:
* Compiègne-1 (with 19 c ...
school of the Army Biological and Veterinary Service.
Publications
Journal articles included:
*
*
*
*
Books include:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Philippe
1843 births
1910 deaths
20th-century French geologists
French veterinarians
19th-century French geologists
People from Rhône (department)