Louis Dangeard
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Louis Marie Bernard Dangeard (April 29, 1898, in
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
– April 15, 1987, 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 ...
, France) was a French
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, ...
and
oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...
. He was son of the
botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
and
mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...
Pierre Augustin Dangeard. His brother was the botanist
Pierre Dangeard Pierre Jean-Louis Dangeard (18 February 1895 in Poitiers, France – 23 August 1970 in Pléneuf-Val-André, France) was a French botanist. He was the son of botanist and mycologist Pierre Augustin Dangeard and brother of geologist and ocea ...
. Louis Dangeard was one of the founders of modern oceanography.


Biography

Louis Dangeard was born on April 29, 1898, in
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
. He was the youngest of four siblings. His father had come from
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
in 1891 to take up a professorship at the ''Académie des Sciences'', the scientific faculty of the
University of Poitiers The University of Poitiers (UP; , ) is a public university located in Poitiers, France. It is a member of the Coimbra Group. It is multidisciplinary and contributes to making Poitiers the city with the highest student/inhabitant ratio in France ...
. In 1909 the family moved to
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 ...
, where his father had been offered a post at the prestigious scientific faculty of the
University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
. Louis Dangeard studied geology in Paris and, in 1919 moved to the scientific faculty of the
University of Rennes The University of Rennes (French: ''Université de Rennes'') is a public university, public research university located in Rennes, Upper Brittany, France. Originally founded in 1460, the university was split into two universities in 1970: Univers ...
working as an academic assistant. In 1923 he was offered a permanent position and, in 1928, he was promoted to assistant professor. From 1922 to 1927 he took part in seven oceanographic expeditions organized by Jean Charcot with the research vessel '' Pourquoi Pas?.'' These research trips covered the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
, the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
and in particular the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. Dangeard's main focus of research was the investigation of the
seabed The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as seabeds. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...
. In 1928 he received his doctorate with a
thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
on the geology of the seabed of the English Channel. In 1930 Dangeard was appointed professor of geology at the scientific faculty of the
University of Clermont-Ferrand The University of Clermont-Ferrand was officially founded in 1896, by merging of two existing faculties (Literature and Sciences) and a medical school. In 1976, due to political issues, the University split between University Clermont-Ferrand I - ...
, but switched in 1933 to the Chair of Geology at the ''Faculté des Sciences'' at the
University of Caen The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...
, Lower Normandy, where he succeeded Alexandre Bigot. His scientific work concentrated mainly on
sedimentology Sedimentology encompasses the study of modern sediments such as sand, silt, and clay, and the processes that result in their formation (erosion and weathering), transport, deposition and diagenesis. Sedimentologists apply their understanding of m ...
and
petrography Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The clas ...
. By January 1926, Louis Dangeard had married the 22-year-old Louise Marie Joseph Marcille (1902 to 1980). The couple had six children: Henri, Yves, Alain, Anne, Armelle and Gilles Louise Marie. He retired from his professorial chair at the University of Caen in 1968. His wife died in 1980, and Dangeard died in 1987 at the age of 88.


Memberships and honors

* Dangeard was a member of the
French Geological Society French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
. During his lifetime a valley system of the eastern English Channel was named the ''Fosse Dangeard'' in his honor.J.-P. Destombes, E. R. Shephard-Thorn and J. H. Redding (1975): ''A Buried Valley System in the Strait of Dover.'' In: ''Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society London A'', vol.279, no.1288, p.243-253. * 1955 elected President of the French Geological Society


Works

* Louis Dangeard: ''La Normandie.'' Vol. 7 of the series edited by Albert F. de Lapparant (Directeur de CNRS): ''Actualités Scientifiques et Industrielles 1140 Géologie Régionale de la France''. Hermann & Cie, Paris 1951. * Suez, Hurghada, Djibouti : Mission Louis Dangeard-Paul Budker dans la mer rouge et en Somalie francaise: 7 decembre 1938 - 9 fevrier 1939 / par Louis Dangeard Volume 1. 1941 * "Carte lithologique des mers de France," in ''Geologie der Meere und Binnengewässer''. Berlin: Bornträger, 1937-44. Vol. 3, Pt. 2, pp. 129–142, 1939 * ''Observations De Géologie Sous-Marine et D'océanographie Relatives à La Manche''. Ed. Blondel La Rougery, Paris et Lyon. 1928 Dangeard also published numerous academic articles throughout his career.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dangeard, Louis 1898 births 1987 deaths 20th-century French geologists French oceanographers University of Paris alumni