Maurice Chaper

Maurice Armand Chaper (13 February 1834, Dijon – 5 July 1896, Vienna) was a French geologist and mining engineer.

He received his education at the École Polytechnique and École des Mines, afterwards working at jobs for the railroads and public works. He enlisted in the National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the 38th Regiment. In 1872 he was named assistant mayor of the 5th arrondissement of Paris.

As a member of the Société géologique de France, he began, from 1874, a number of geological and mineralogical missions to all parts of the globe — Venezuela, the Rocky Mountains, Borneo, southern Africa, the Urals, et al. As part of a geological survey in Central America, he was involved with the Compagnie du canal de Panama.