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Alexandre Brongniart

brohn-YAR
Geologist and Mineralogist

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French mineralogist, geologist and paleontologist who directed the Sevres porcelain manufactory for nearly five decades while pursuing his geological research. With Georges Cuvier, he surveyed the strata of the Paris basin between 1804 and 1811, publishing their findings as the Essai sur la geographie mineralogique des environs de Paris (1811), one of the founding works of biostratigraphy: it used the fossil content of successive rock layers, rather than rock type alone, to reconstruct the basin's marine and freshwater history.

Facts
Birth Date
1770-02-05 1
Birth Year
1770 1
Death Date
1847-10-07 1
Death Year
1847 1
Birthplace
Paris, Kingdom of France 1
Death Place
Paris, France 1
Nationality
French 1
Defining Contribution
With Cuvier, surveyed the Paris basin strata from 1804 to 1811, helping establish the basic method of biostratigraphy 1
Notable Work
Essai sur la geographie mineralogique des environs de Paris (with Cuvier, 1811) 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Collaborated with Cuvier on the 1804 to 1811 survey of the Paris basin strata, publishing joint findings in 1808 and an expanded version in 1811.

With Cuvier, Brongniart applied the principle of faunal succession to the Paris basin strata between 1804 and 1811, independently of William Smith's contemporaneous work in England.

Works In

Geology, Disciplines

His broader stratigraphic and mineralogical fieldwork sits within geology.

Appointed professor of mineralogy in 1822 at the Museum of Natural History in Paris.

With Cuvier, the 1811 survey of the Paris basin applied faunal succession to build one of the first detailed stratigraphic and paleontological cross-sections, a founding work of biostratigraphy.

Sources
1. Alexandre Brongniart (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section and Paris basin sectionView the Source
1. Alexandre Brongniart (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWorks In: MineralogyView the Source
1. Alexandre Brongniart (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWorks In: StratigraphyView the Source
1. Alexandre Brongniart (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Georges CuvierView the Source
1. Alexandre Brongniart (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Principle of Faunal SuccessionView the Source
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