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Hans Henrik Reusch (5 September 1852 – 27 October 1922) was a Norwegian
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, alth ...
,
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 ...
, he was educated at the University of Leipzig and Heidelberg University. 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 (now University of Oslo) in 1883. He was married to the painter Helga Marie Ring Reusch He joined 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 ...
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 higher le ...
(1897–98). He is distinguished for his research on the crystalline
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 o ...
s and the
Palaeozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ''z ...
rocks of Norway. He discovered
Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...
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 in ...
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 surface ...
" a
Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the P ...
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, 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''. 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 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 the Un ...
. In 1922, he served as the first chairman of the Norwegian Association of Bibliophiles (''Bibliofiklubben''). Reusch died at Hvalstad Station 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, awarded by the Norwegian Geological Society. Reusch Glacier in Antarctica, Reuschhalvøya and Reuschfjellet on
Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group rang ...
were also named in his honor.


References


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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