Dimitrij Andrusov

Dimitrij Andrusov (7 November 1897 – 1 April 1976) was a Slovak geologist of Russian origin, member of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He was first professor of geology on Slovak colleges. He is considered the founder of modern Slovak geology.

Life Dimitrij Andrusov was born on 7 November 1897 in the former Yuryev (today Tartu) then in the Russian Empire (today Estonia). He was a grandson of Heinrich Schliemann and son of geologist Nicolai Ivanovich Andrusov. In 1915-1918 he studied on the university in Saint Petersburg. Later in 1920–1922 on Sorbonne University in France. He continued his studies on the Faculty of Chemical Technology on Czech Technical University in Prague and graduated there in 1925. Since 1929 he worked in the Technical University. At the same time, with help of Imrich Karvaš, he contributed to the establishment of the Slovak geological survey which he led in the years 1940 to 1945. In 1952 Andrusov became head of Department of Geology at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Comenius University and remained in office until 1970. As a teacher, he wrote several textbooks and teaching texts, in addition to teaching students of geology and geological mapping, he personally led courses and field excursions, where he imparted his knowledge in practice. He was also the founder and in the years 1957-1958 first director of the Geological Laboratory, which was later transformed into the Geological Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

Scientific activities His research interests have been multilateral. His wide interests were devoted to geology, stratigraphy, tectonics, paleontology, geology of deposits and engineering geology. He studied the Klippen and Flysch belt of the Western Carpathians, but also Central Western Carpathians and especially the Subtatric nappes. which is considered one of the highlights of synthesis of the tectonic structure of the Western Carpathians based on the principles of the geosyncline theory. He was the author of many other monographic works and about 250 papers in scientific journals in Czechoslovakia and abroad. In addition to scientific activities he also solved practical geological tasks related to construction of dams, railways, tunnels and searching for non-metallic deposits.