Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky (, trl. Aljeksandr Pjetrovič Karpinskij; 7 January 1847 O.S. 26 December 1846">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 26 December 1846– 15 July 1936) was a prominent Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet geologist and mineralogy, mineralogist, and the president of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

, and later Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in 1917–1936.

Biography

Karpinsky was born in Turyinskiye Rudniki, Perm Governorate (now Krasnoturyinsk,

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblastʹ, p=svʲɪrdˈlofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the c ...

), in the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

, into a family of mining engineers. From 1857 to 1866 he studied at the mining school in St. Petersburg, and in 1863-1866 he also attended the Mineralogical Institute. From 1866 to 1869 he worked in his home area in the Urals as a mining engineer. He was invited to the Mining Institute, St. Petersburg in 1869 as an assistant professor, whilst also doing further studies and research. He was given full professorship in 1877. He stayed there until 1885. He was the imperial director of mining research from 1885 to 1916. Karpinsky was elected to the

in 1886, was elected its president in May 1917, and held this title until his death. He was elected an International Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1897. His main research was chiefly done in the

, and he completed the first geological map of

European Russia European Russia is the western and most populated part of the Russia, Russian Federation. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the country's sparsely populated and vastly larger eastern part, Siberia, which is situated in Asia ...

. He was able to preserve much scientific equipment and many invaluable records during the turmoil, and looting, of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. Karpinsky died on 15 July 1936 in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, at the age of 89 and was cremated and an urn with his ashes lies in the

Kremlin Wall Necropolis The Kremlin Wall Necropolis is the former national cemetery of the Soviet Union, located in Red Square in Moscow beside the Moscow Kremlin Wall, Kremlin Wall. Burials there began in November 1917, when 240 pro-Bolsheviks who died during the Mosc ...

in Moscow, and is the oldest (by the date of birth) person to be so.

Publications

*''An Outline of Physical Geography of European Russia in Past Geological Periods'' *''The General Character of the Changes in the Earth's Crust within the bounds of European Russia''

Named in his honor

Aleksandr Petrovich Karpinsky-USSR-stamp-1947

*The mineral karpinskiteKarpinskite
mindat.org *The lunar crater Karpinsky *The Karpinsky Group of volcanoes on Paramushir Island in the Kurils * Karpinsky Glacier, Severnaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic * Mount Karpinsky, Urals at 1878 m lies between the

Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is located in Western Siberia, and is administratively part of the Ural Federal District. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous ...

and the

Komi Republic The Komi Republic (; ), sometimes simply referred to as Komi, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the northeast of European Russia. Its capital city, capital is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Syktyvka ...

in Russia *The town of Karpinsk,

on the east side of the

Urals The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

* Karpinsky Russian Geology Research Institute *in 1947 (on the centenary of his birth) the Academy of Sciences of the USSR created the Karpinsky Gold Medal, awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of geology.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karpinsky, Alexander Petrovich 1847 births 1936 deaths People from Krasnoturyinsk People from Verkhotursky Uyezd Geologists from the Russian Empire Mineralogists from the Russian Empire Russian geologists Russian mineralogists Soviet geologists Antarctic scientists Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1917–1925) Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Presidents of the USSR Academy of Sciences Wollaston Medal winners Burials at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis Russian scientists International members of the American Philosophical Society