Edgar Aubert de la Rüe

Edgar Aubert de la Rüe (1901–1991) was a French geographer, geologist, traveller and photographer who was primarily devoted to the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Kerguelen, and Vanuatu. Mount Aubert de la Rue on Heard Island is named after him.

Biography Edgar Aubert de la Rüe was born on 7 October 1901 in Geneva (Switzerland) and died on 24 February 1991 in Lausanne.

He took on the duties of an engineer-geologist from the University of Nancy and a scientific adviser for the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. He was also a Doctor of Natural Science from the University of Paris.

Summary of his travels Kerguelen Archipelago: 12 November 1928 to 25 February 1929, 25 January to 27 March 1931, 11 December 1949 to 16 January 1950, 12 December 1951 to 6 January 1953; Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 7 journeys (1932, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1941 to 1943, 1948, 1970) totalling three years; French Somaliland: November 1937 to May 1938, accompanied by his wife. Numerous other journeys - always with his wife - notably Patagonia, Brazil, and Vanuatu.

Kerguelen Islands Edgar Aubert de la Rue made six journeys to the Kerguelen Islands ranging from six weeks to over a year. He spent in total more than two years in the islands - mostly with his wife Andrée. He made a significant contribution to the geology and biology of the area including two maps published in 1932 and 1952.

His first visit was from 12 November 1928 to 25 February 1929 when he stayed at Port-Couvreux and Port-Jeanne d’Arc and explored the coasts and the islands aboard whaling vessels. From 24 January to the end of March 1931, he was commissioned to undertake a geological expedition for the Ministry of Colonies. From these two journeys came, in 1932, a thesis which was a sum of his unique knowledge of the Kerguelens at that time. Edgar Aubert de la Rüe returned to the Kerguelens from 11 December 1949 to 16 January 1950 and again from 12 December 1951 to January 1953 as a geologist and scientific adviser. He assisted in the first years of creation of the current database.

Publications 1928: Precious and Ornamental stones, Lechevalier, Paris, 301 p. 1930: Unknown French Lands (Islands of Kerguelen-Crozet-Saint-Paul-Nouvelle-Amsterdam), SPE, Paris, 189 p. 1932: Geological and geographical study of the Kerguelen archipelago, Revue de géographie physique et de géographie dynamique, Paris, 231 p. + XXV pl. + 2 maps 1935: Man and the Islands, Gallimard, coll. géographie humaine Paris, 194 p. No. 6 1937: The Territory of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon: Study of physical and human geography Read online 1937: The Territory of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Journal de la Société des américanistes, Paris, 133 p., 6 pl. 1 map 1939: French Somaliland, Gallimard, Coll. Géographie humaine 14, Paris, 162 p. Read online 1940: Man and the wind Gallimard, Coll. Géographie humaine, Paris n° 16 1947: The region of Mont-Laurier, province of Québec, Canada. Some aspects of human geography in a shielded Canadian sector Read online 1950: Some observations on the Oyampi of Oyapock (French Guyana) Read online 1953: The Southern Lands, (Presse Universitaire de France) 1954: Two years on the Islands of Desolation, éditions Julliard, Coll. Sciences et Voyages, 316 pages 1957: Arid Brazil (Life in the catinga) Gallimard, coll. Géographie humaine 29, Paris, 274 pages, ill., 23 cm 1957: Tropics (Tropical nature), (with Jean-Paul Harroy and François Bourlière), Horizons de France, 206 pages 1958: Man and Volcanoes Gallimard, Coll. Géographie humaine 30, Paris, 398 pages - XVI p. of plates, ill., 23 cm