Albert Streckeisen
Encyclopedia
Albert Streckeisen was a Swiss petrographer and petrologist, the son of Basel
forensic scientist Adolf Streckeisen
.
and petrology of the Flüela group in 1927. In the same year, aged 26, he was called as Professor in Mineralogy and Petrology to the Polytechnic of Bucharest
, Romania
. As a member of the Romanian Geological Service, he was active in the geological mapping of the Carpathians.
In the 1930s, he returned to Switzerland because he would have been forced to relinquish his Swiss nationality in order to remain professor at Bucharest. He taught science at Swiss high schools until his retirement in Berne
. He became an honorary professorial associate at the University of Berne in 1942, where he was nominated extraodrinary professor.
In 1958, Streckeisen was asked to collaborate in revising Paul Niggli's Tabellen zur Petrographie und zum Gesteinbestimmen "Tables for Petrography and Rock Determination". He noted significant problems
with the current classification systems for igneous rocks. He wrote a review article and invited
petrologists to send in their comments. This led to the formation of the Subcommission of the Systematics of Igneous Rocks,
under the IUGS Commission on Petrology in 1970. The QAPF diagram
for the classification of igneous rocks is also known as "Streckeisen diagram" in his honour.
He began his work on igneous rocks aged over 60, pursuing it for more than 35 years until his death in October 1998.
He received the Abraham-Gottlob-Werner medal of the Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft in 1984.
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
forensic scientist Adolf Streckeisen
Adolf Streckeisen
Adolf Streckeisen was professor of medicine at Basel University, first forensic physician of Basel and president of the Basel Mission.He was the father of geologist Albert Streckeisen.-References:*...
.
Biography
He studied geology, mineralogy and petrology in Basel, Zürich and Berne. He submitted his doctoral thesis on the geologyand petrology of the Flüela group in 1927. In the same year, aged 26, he was called as Professor in Mineralogy and Petrology to the Polytechnic of Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. As a member of the Romanian Geological Service, he was active in the geological mapping of the Carpathians.
In the 1930s, he returned to Switzerland because he would have been forced to relinquish his Swiss nationality in order to remain professor at Bucharest. He taught science at Swiss high schools until his retirement in Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
. He became an honorary professorial associate at the University of Berne in 1942, where he was nominated extraodrinary professor.
In 1958, Streckeisen was asked to collaborate in revising Paul Niggli's Tabellen zur Petrographie und zum Gesteinbestimmen "Tables for Petrography and Rock Determination". He noted significant problems
with the current classification systems for igneous rocks. He wrote a review article and invited
petrologists to send in their comments. This led to the formation of the Subcommission of the Systematics of Igneous Rocks,
under the IUGS Commission on Petrology in 1970. The QAPF diagram
QAPF diagram
A QAPF diagram is a double triangle diagram which is used to classify igneous rocks based on mineralogic composition. The acronym, QAPF, stands for "Quartz, Alkali feldspar, Plagioclase, Feldspathoid ". These are the mineral groups used for classification in QAPF diagram...
for the classification of igneous rocks is also known as "Streckeisen diagram" in his honour.
He began his work on igneous rocks aged over 60, pursuing it for more than 35 years until his death in October 1998.
He received the Abraham-Gottlob-Werner medal of the Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft in 1984.