Abstract

The year 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian scientist Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945). Vernadsky is considered to be one of the architects of geochemistry and the founder of biogeochemistry. He defined the scientific and philosophical terms biosphere and noosphere, is the intellectual pioneer of the environmental sciences and is the leading protagonist of sustainable development. He was the first geoscientist to merge biological and geological sciences to emphasize the complexity of natural processes and interactions. Despite being regarded as one of the greatest scientists in Russia, his enormous achievements have only recently been recognized internationally.

The following biographical-historical account was compiled by the Geoscience Working Group of the Leibniz-Sozietät based in Berlin, Germany. The project paid particular attention to Vernadsky's achievements in mineralogy and geochemistry and his importance in the development of geochemistry in Germany.

Vernadsky started his scientific career as a mineralogist but soon dedicated himself to studying the distribution and migration of chemical elements in the Earth's crust. He soon recognized the role of living matter in transforming and utilizing solar energy and as a geological agent, studied the importance of living matter in the chemical evolution of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. He established biogeochemistry as a new scientific discipline and was the first scientist to promote research into the geochemistry of the hydrosphere and, therewith, of marine geochemistry. In the last years of his life he developed concepts regarding the geological impact of mankind, proposing that mankind is a geological factor affecting and changing the natural environment. He was also an extraordinary manager of science and teaching. Together with a large group of colleagues, he revolutionized university teaching and academic research and guided successful students including Fersman, Chlopin, and Vinogradov. He influenced science internationally by undertaking visits to Germany, Italy, Austria and France. Important impacts on the development of geochemistry in Germany were Vernadsky's and Fersman's presentations at the Russische Naturforscherwoche (Russian natural science week) in Berlin in 1927. As a result of this meeting, the German edition of Vernadsky's Essays in Geochemistry was published, the first German textbook in geochemistry.