Peter Merian (20 December 1795– 8 February 1883) was a Swiss geologist and palaeontologist. He studied sciences at the University of Basel, the

Academy of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

and at the University of Göttingen (1815–17), where he studied geology under Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann. At Göttingen he became good friends with Bernhard Studer.Merian, Peter
at Deutsche Biographie After obtaining his doctorate, he continued his education in Paris up until 1819, and then returned to Basel and proceeded to conduct geological studies of the Swiss Jura.Google Books
Science, Volume 1 In 1820 he was named professor of physics and

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

at Basel, and during the following year, became director of the Natural History Museum. From 1835 to 1861, he was an honorary professor of geology and palaeontology at Basel, where three times he served as

university rector A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world the rector is often the most senior official in a un ...

. In 1838 and 1856 he was president of the ''Schweizer Naturforschenden Gesellschaft''. Escher Merian Heer

Known for his scientific investigations of

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...

, he also conducted extensive geological research of the Black Forest, and performed comparison studies of the Germanic and Alpine Triassic stages. During his career, he amassed an impressive collection of fossils, and is credited for developing a classification schema for ammonites. In addition, he made contributions in the fields of meteorology and glaciology.

Selected works

* ''Uebersicht der Beschaffenheit der Gebirgsbildungen in den Umgebungen von Basel : mit besonderer Hinsicht auf das Juragebirge im Allgemeinen'', 1821 – Overview on the formation of mountains in the environs of Basel with particular regard to the Jura Mountains in general. * ''Uebersicht des Zustandes unserer Kenntniss der Naturkunde des Kantons Basel'', 1826 – Overview on the natural history of the canton of Basel. * ''Geognostische Uebersicht des südlichen Schwarzwaldes'', 1831 – Geognostic survey of the southern Black Forest. * ''Mittel und Hauptresultate aus den meteorologischen Beobachtungen in Basel von 1826 bis 1836'', 1838 – Means and main results of the meteorological observations in Basel from 1826 to 1836. * ''Ueber die Theorie der Gletscher'', 1843 – On the theory of glaciers.Sudoc
published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merian, Peter 1795 births 1883 deaths 19th-century Swiss geologists Swiss paleontologists Scientists from Basel-Stadt University of Göttingen alumni Peter