Famous Swiss Geologists

Apart from being a geologist and physicist, Horace Bénédict de Saussure was also a skilled mountaineer and Alpine explorer. Initially a professor of philosophy and physics, he later became one of the earliest user of the word geology. Of his many inventions, the most prominent was his version of the hygrometer.

Copley Medal-winning geologist and meteorologist Jean-André Deluc had initially studied math and natural sciences, before embarking on business tours across Europe. In course of time, he gathered a huge collection of fossils and minerals. His research areas included the mercury barometer. He was later named a fellow of the Royal Society.

German-Swiss geologist Jean de Charpentier is remembered for his research on the glaciers of the Swiss Alps. He identified huge boulders, or erratics, along the Alpine landscape and concluded that the glaciers had previously been more extensive. The Charpentierbreen glacier in Svalbard is named after him.