PROFESOR VALERIAN MYKOLAYOVYCH WEBER — OUTSTANDING GEOLOGIST-SURVEYER AND EXPERT IN TRILOBITES (to the 150th Аnniversary of his birth)

Abstract

Valerian Мykolayovych Weber (1871—1940) entered the history of geological science of the former USSR and the world as an outstanding geologist-surveyor, a prominent paleontologist, a specialist in trilobite fauna and Paleozoic stratigraphy, a teacher and organizer of science, an active member of scientific geological societies. He was the discoverer of a number of deposits of iron and copper-arsenic-lead ores, coal, and oil. The scientist studied the classical sections and fauna of the Paleozoic of Western Europe, carried out geological surveys in sultry Turkestan. As a geologist, Valerian Mykolayovych traveled and studied regions of Central Asia, Urals, Crimea, Caucasus, Pamirs, Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard, the Timan Ridge and the Far East. Of particular importance for him were the unique Paleozoic sections of the Donetsk folded structure. The scientist is the author of the monographs “Field Geology”, “Mineral Resources of Turkestan” and the geology of the Cheleken Peninsula, he is also known as a seismologist — he studied the Andijan, Akhalkalaki and Shemakha earthquakes. However, paleontological studies of trilobites brought world fame to the scientist. In total, for Permian, Devonian, Ordovician, and Silurian trilobites, V.M. Weber wrote six original monographs and more than ten articles. The first large monograph by V.M. Weber was the book “Trilobites of Turkestan”, then “Trilobites of Donbass” and a series of consolidated monographs on the Carboniferous trilobites of the USSR. The monograph by V.M. Weber “Trilobites of Donbass” contains material on trilobites collected by scientists from continuous, “reference” sections of marine carboniferous deposits of the Donets Basin. Paleontological works by V.M. Weber cover a wide range of geological time — from the Ordovician to the Permian inclusive. They are important for the stratigraphy of the sedimentary strata of the Carboniferous Donbas of Central Asia, Urals, Caucasus, Crimea and other geological regions of the USSR.