Dmitry Mushketov: contribution to international cooperation in the field of geological sciences

Authors

  • V. Onoprienko Institute for Research on Scientific and Technological Potential and History of Science them. G. M. Dobrov National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0761-4075
  • I. Ivanov Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science RAS, Pushchino-on-Oka
  • I. Vtorov Geological Institute (GIN) RAS, Moscow.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15421/272020

Abstract

The article deals with the scientific and organizational work of the outstanding geologist Dmitry Ivanovich Mushketov (1882–1938), the son of a geologist and geographer, a remarkable traveler Ivan Vasilyevich Mushketov (1850–1902). The work of D.I. Mushketova was closely associated with many scientific organizations of St. Petersburg-Leningrad (Mining Institute, Geological Committee, Institute of Applied Geophysics, Seismological and Geological Institutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences, etc.). During the years of great social upheavals, he managed to reveal his talents and professional training as a tectonist, seismologist, geophysicist, organizer of science, director of the Mining Institute, chairman of the Geological Committee of the first third of the twentieth century. In fact, continuing his father’s work on the basis of new methods, he became one of the founders of the systematic study and geological mapping of Central Asia. In 1928, he organized the 3rd All-Union Geological Congress in Tashkent, which was attended by many foreign experts. Emphasis is placed on the consistent activities of D. I. Mushketov on expanding international cooperation in the field of geological sciences. After a long break, world war and revolutions in Europe, he actively participated in the sessions of the International Geological Congress in Belgium, Spain, South Africa and his activities contributed to the achievement of such a relevant consensus for international projects and research. He succeeded in holding a session of the International Geological Congress in Moscow in 1937. The effectiveness of his efforts was constructively manifested in the creation (1928–1931) of the Association for the Study of the Quaternary of Europe (modern International Union for the Study of the Quaternary, INQUA). His life was tragically cut short during the Great Terror in the USSR.

Published

2020-12-26