Émile Argand (6 January 1879 – 14 September 1940) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

. He founded the Geological Institute of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Argand is known for his study of the Alps, and was an early proponent of Alfred Wegener's theory of

continental drift Continental drift is a highly supported scientific theory, originating in the early 20th century, that Earth's continents move or drift relative to each other over geologic time. The theory of continental drift has since been validated and inc ...

. Argand published a tectonic map of Asia, for which he was awarded the Spendiarov Prize. He also won the Marcel Benoist Prize. A road, a region on the moon and a series of conferences in Europe are named after him, and the

International Union of Geological Sciences The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to global cooperation in the field of geology. As of 2023, it represents more than 1 million geoscientists around the world. About Fo ...

' highest award is named the Emile Argand Medal.

Life

Argand was born in Eaux-Vives near

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. His father was a government clerk, and his mother was from

Savoy Savoy (; )  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 and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

. He attended vocational school in Geneva, apprenticed to an architect, then worked as a draftsman. His mother encouraged him to study medicine instead. Argand studied anatomy in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, but gave up medicine to pursue his interest in geology. Argand studied under Josef Blaas, the professor of geology and paleontology, at Innsbruck in 1901, and also under Maurice Lugeon in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

. By 1911 he had succeeded Hans Schardt as professor at Neuchâtel. Argand was an early proponent of Alfred Wegener's theory of

, viewing plate tectonics and continental collisions as the best explanation for the formation of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. He is also noted for his application of the theory of

tectonic Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons. These processes ...

s to the continent of

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, which he published first in 1913 and then in revised form in 1924. Argand founded the Geological Institute of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Argand died suddenly in Neuchâtel, on 14 September 1940.

Awards

* 1913 Spendiarov Prize * 1926 Marcel Benoist Prize

Legacy

* A region of

wrinkle ridge A wrinkle ridge is a type of feature commonly found on lunar maria, or basalt plains. These features are low, sinuous ridges formed on the mare surface that can extend for up to several hundred kilometers. Wrinkle ridges are tectonic features ...

s on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

was named '' Dorsa Argand'' after him. * There is a road named "Rue Emile-Argand" at the University of Neuchâtel. * European Geoscience Union runs the Emile Argand Conferences on Alpine Geological Studies * The

' highest award is named the Emile Argand Medal

Bibliography

Argand, E. (1924), "La Tectonique de l'Asie", Extrait du Compte-rendu du XIIIe Congrès géologique international 1922 (Liège), 1(5), pp. 171-372
* Argand, E. (1916), "Sur l'arc des Alps Occidentales", Eclogae geologicae Helveticae (Lausanne), 14, pp. 145–192. * Argand, E. (1911), "Les nappes de recouvrement des Alpes Pennines et leur prolongement structuraux", Mat. carte géol. Suisse, N.S., XXXI livr. *

References

External links

Historical perspective on the Alps
including illustrations by Argand.
Necrology (in French)
in: Verhandlungen der Schweizerischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 120 (1940), 379-403. {{DEFAULTSORT:Argand, Emile 1879 births 1940 deaths 20th-century Swiss geologists Tectonicists