Paul Frédéric Joseph Fourmarier (1877—1970) was a Belgian

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 specialist in

tectonics 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 ...

and

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...

, after whom the

Fourmarierite Fourmarierite is a secondary uranium-lead mineral. It was named for the Belgian geologist Paul Fourmarier (1877–1970). Its chemical formula is . References Lead minerals Uranium(VI) minerals Orthorhombic minerals Minerals in space group ...

mineral is named. Fourmarier was born in

La Hulpe La Hulpe (; , ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant, 20 km south-east of the centre of Brussels, but only about 3 km from the edge of the Brussels-Capital Region. On January 1, 2007, La Hulpe had a ...

Province of Brabant The Province of Brabant (, ; ) was a province in Belgium from 1830 to 1995. It was created in 1815 as South Brabant, part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1995, it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaki ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and studied at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

, graduating in 1899. He became a professor of geology at the university in 1920. He won the

Wollaston Medal The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology and the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London, the oldest geological society in the world. The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831. I ...

in 1957 and the Penrose Gold Medal in 1952.

Research

His specialist area was the study of fold structures and

cleavage Cleavage may refer to: Science * Cleavage (crystal), the way in which a crystal or mineral tends to split * Cleavage (embryo), the division of cells in an early embryo * Cleavage (geology), foliation of rock perpendicular to stress, a result of ...

and he described the overthrust

nappe In geology, a nappe or thrust sheet is a large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved more than or above a thrust fault from its original position. Nappes form in compressional tectonic settings like continental collision zones or on the ...

s in the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

. Fourmarier was much involved in the geology of his native Belgium, as well as

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

(then the Belgian Congo) and other African places. He also worked on continental drift.

Works

* 1901. ''Le bassin dévonien et carboniférien de Theux''. * 1906. Pétrographie et paléontologie de la formation houillère de la campine, H. Vaillant-Carmanne (

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

). * 1907. ''La Tectonique de l’Ardenne''. * 1916. ''La Tectonique du bassin houiller du Hainaut''. * 1933. ''Principes de géologie''. * 1934. ''Vue d'ensemble de la géologie de la Belgique''. * 1939. ''Hydrogéologie: introduction à l'étude des eaux, destinées à l'alimentation humaine et à l'industrie'',

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 ...

. * 1954. ''Prodrome d'une description géologique de la Belgique''. Geological Survey of Belgium, Liège, 826 p.

Memory

An award named after him, the Fourmarier Prize, was established. In addition, a secondary uranium-lead mineral,

fourmarierite Fourmarierite is a secondary uranium-lead mineral. It was named for the Belgian geologist Paul Fourmarier (1877–1970). Its chemical formula is . References Lead minerals Uranium(VI) minerals Orthorhombic minerals Minerals in space group ...

, was named in his memory.

References

1877 births 1970 deaths Belgian geologists People from La Hulpe Wollaston Medal winners Penrose Medal winners Academic staff of the University of Liège {{Belgium-scientist-stub

Research

Works

Memory

See also

References