What did Louis Agassiz accomplish?
Louis Agassiz, in full Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, (born May 28, 1807, Motier, Switzerland—died December 14, 1873, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.), Swiss-born American naturalist, geologist, and teacher who made revolutionary contributions to the study of natural science with landmark work on glacier activity and …
Who was Louis Agassiz and what did he discover?
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz has been called the “Father of Glaciology” and the “First Naturalist.” One of the greatest contributors to the science of water, he discovered evidence of a time when the frozen state of water changed Earth’s landscape: the Ice Age.
Who is the father of American science?
Charismatic and controversial, Louis Agassiz is our least known revolutionary—some fifty years after American independence, he became a founding father of American science.
What did the Swiss geologist Louis Agassiz propose?
Louis Agassiz. The idea of Continental Glaciation came from Louis Agassiz in 1840. Agassiz’ hypothesis says that much of the continent of North America was covered by glacial ice that was 2 miles thick and which extended over much of the midwest. Agassiz was Swiss, and so he knew glaciers well.
Who discovered the ice age?
naturalist Louis Agassiz
The person commonly credited with discovering the ice age is the Swiss naturalist Louis Agassiz ( 1807- 1873), well known as the founder of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (where he resided from 1848).
How did Louis Agassiz discover ice age?
They are the result of glacial transport from another geologic area. The existence of theses erratics in Agassiz’s field area was instrumental in refining the theory of an ice age. Agassiz made multiple trips with both Charpentier and Schimper to alpine valleys to study these erratics.
Are we still in an ice age?
Like all the others, the most recent ice age brought a series of glacial advances and retreats. In fact, we are technically still in an ice age. We’re just living out our lives during an interglacial.
What is the meaning of Agassiz?
Definitions of Agassiz. United States naturalist (born in Switzerland) who studied fossil fish; recognized geological evidence that ice ages had occurred in North America (1807-1873)
What did Louis Agassiz do?
Louis Agassiz Lived 1807 – 1873. Louis Agassiz was a Swiss-born biologist, physician, geologist, teacher, and most importantly, a prominent innovator in the field of the study of natural sciences. His landmark work on the glacier activity and extinct fishes were his revolutionary contributions.
What did Agassiz study in college?
He first earned a doctorate in philosophy, followed by a medical degree, both at German universities. Even from an early age, Agassiz was interested in ichthyology, the study of fish, and before he finished school he had planned a comprehensive study of extinct fish.
What did Agassiz do after Cuvier?
After Cuvier’s death in 1832, Agassiz moved back to Switzerland to become a professor at the College of Neuchâtel. From 1833 to 1843, Agassiz published his comprehensive fossil fish study in five volumes. This Rercherches sur les poissons fossiles, or Research on Fossil Fishes, named and described an incredible number of fossils.
Where can I find a collection of Louis Agassiz’s works?
A collection of Louis Agassiz’s professional and personal life is conserved in the State Archives of Neuchâtel. AGASSIZ LOUIS, Fonds: Louis Agassiz (1817–1873). Archives de l’État de Neuchâtel.