Jules Marcou
Encyclopedia
Jules Marcou was an eminent Swiss
-American
geologist
.
He was born at Salins
, in the département of Jura, in France
.
He was educated at Besançon
and at the college of St Louis, Paris
. He worked in early years with Jules Thurmann (1804-1855) on the geology
of the Jura mountains. In 1847 he went to North America
as travelling geologist for the Jardin des Plantes, and in the following year in Boston
he joined Agassiz
, whom he had met in Switzerland, and accompanied him to the Lake Superior
region.
Marcou spent two years in studying the geology of various parts of the United States
and Canada
, and returned to Europe for a short time in 1850. In 1853 he published a Geological Map of the United States, and the British Provinces of North America.
In 1855 he became professor of geology and palaeontology at the polytechnic school of Zürich
, but relinquished this office in 1859, and in 1861 again returned to the United States, when be assisted Louis Agassiz
in founding the Museum of Comparative Zoology
.
Jules Marcou died at Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 1898 and was interred there in the Mount Auburn Cemetery
.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
.
He was born at Salins
Salins-les-Bains
Salins-les-Bains is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.Salins owes its name to its saline waters, used for bathing and drinking. There are also salt works and gypsum deposits. In 2009 the historic saltworks were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites...
, in the département of Jura, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He was educated at Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
and at the college of St Louis, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He worked in early years with Jules Thurmann (1804-1855) on the geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
of the Jura mountains. In 1847 he went to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as travelling geologist for the Jardin des Plantes, and in the following year in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
he joined Agassiz
Alexander Emanuel Agassiz
Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe Agassiz , son of Louis Agassiz and stepson of Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, was an American scientist and engineer.-Biography:...
, whom he had met in Switzerland, and accompanied him to the Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
region.
Marcou spent two years in studying the geology of various parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and returned to Europe for a short time in 1850. In 1853 he published a Geological Map of the United States, and the British Provinces of North America.
In 1855 he became professor of geology and palaeontology at the polytechnic school of Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, but relinquished this office in 1859, and in 1861 again returned to the United States, when be assisted Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
in founding the Museum of Comparative Zoology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum...
.
Jules Marcou died at Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
in 1898 and was interred there in the Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
.
Publications
- "Life, letters, and works of Louis Agassiz" (1895)
- "Cretaceous formations of the Jura"
- "Dyas (Permian) of Nebraska"
- "Taconic rocks of Vermont and Canada"
- "American Geological Classification and Nomenclature" (1888)
- "Geological Map of the World" (1861, 2nd ed. 1875)
- "A Little More Light on the United States Geological Survey" (1892)
- "Lettres sur les roches du Jura et leur distribution géographique dans les deux hémisphères" (1857-1860)
- "Geology of North America" (1858)