Vladimir Vernadsky was a famous Ukrainian mineralogist who is known for his pioneering work in the field of radioactivity and biogeochemistry
@Mineralogist, Family and Childhood
Vladimir Vernadsky was a famous Ukrainian mineralogist who is known for his pioneering work in the field of radioactivity and biogeochemistry
Vladimir Vernadsky born at
Not much is known about the personal life of Vladimir except that he was married to Natalya. The couple had two children, a son George Vernadsky and daughter Anna Vernadskaya.
The eminent scientist breathed his last on January 6, 1945 in Moscow.
Several educational institutes in Ukraine and Moscow have honoured this ingenious scientist; the ‘Tavrida National University’ has named an avenue in their campus after Vladimir and he is also the eponym of a street in Moscow.
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky was born to parents, Anna and Ivan Vernadsky, of Ukrainian Cossacks ancestry in the Saint Petersburg city of Russia, on March 12, 1863. His father was a teacher of political economy at the University of Moscow, before the family shifted from Kiev to Saint Petersburg; his mother belonged to the lower Russian nobility.
Vladimir received his early education from Ukraine but after returning to Russia he studied at the ‘Saint Petersburg Grammar School’. He pursued higher education from ‘St. Petersburg University’ and was awarded a degree by the ‘Department of Natural, Physical and Mathematical Faculty’ in 1885.
Always interested in natural sciences he decided to pursue a specialization in mineralogy under the renowned Vasily Vasili'evich Dokuchaev who was a pioneer in the field of soil science.
While working on his doctoral dissertation, Vernadsky was introduced to crystallography. He initially wanted to work with crystallographer Arcangelo Scacchi, but the latter’s fragile mental condition compelled him to move to Germany, where he worked on his thesis under the guidance of mineralogist Paul Groth, who was studying the physical properties of crystals.
It was in Germany that he met mathematician Leonhard Sohncke who was himself conducting research on crystallization. Having worked with Sohncke and Groth, Vladimir successfully completed his doctorate.
After completion of his doctoral studies, Vernadsky embarked on his professional career as a research assistant in a mineralogy laboratory. Studying aluminosilicates he chronicled their structure and chemical composition.
He then studied the distribution and concentration of isotopes of different elements in different layers of the Earth’s crust. He collected detailed data and was involved in studies of how various geological forces affect formation of compounds in the Earth crust.
Vladimir is best-known for his work on ‘Noosphere’ and biogeochemistry. His theory on how the three spheres on Earth, geosphere, biosphere and the sphere of cognizance, evolve and progress hand in hand, was a benchmark in the field of environmental sciences.
Valdimir Vernadsky was a renowned Russian-Ukrainian mineralogist who introduced the concept of noosphere or the sphere of human cognizance. Born into a family of educators, he developed an interest in natural sciences at an early age. His interest in mineralogy was sparked by the works of soil scientist Vasily Dokuchaev and geologist Alexey Pavlov. He started his academic career working under famed mineralogist Paul Groth, who classified minerals on the basis of their chemical compositions and crystal structures. Working under Paul he was introduced to crystallography and studied in detail the structure and composition of aluminosilicates. He also explored the effect of geological forces in formation of compound in the earth’s crust. He laid the foundations for development of geochemistry through his studies on radioactivity and how it can be used as a source of thermal energy. His breakthrough contribution was however, the theory of interdependence of geosphere, biosphere and noosphere. His ideas were criticised but he continued his research and became a pioneer of environmental sciences. As a proponent of alternative source of energy, he strongly advised against exploitation of nuclear power, in particular nuclear weaponisation. To know more about the life and works of this erudite geochemist read on
Information | Detail |
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Birthday | March 12, 1863 |
Died on | January 6, 1945 |
Nationality | Russian |
Famous | Mineralogist, Atheists, Scientists |
Spouses | Natalya Vernadskaya |
Known as | Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, V. I. Vernadskiĭ |
Childrens | George Vernadsky, Nina Vernardskaya |
Universities |
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Founder / Co-Founder |
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Birth Place | Saint Petersburg |
Gender | Male |
Father | Ivan Vernadsky |
Mother | Anna Vernadskaya |
Sun Sign | Pisces |
Born in | Saint Petersburg |
Famous as | Mineralogist |
Died at Age | 81 |