Cornell's First Geologist By W. R. Brice and S. F. de M. Figueirôa Charles Frederick Hartt (1840–1878) was one of the great explorer-geologists of the nineteenth century and advanced the science of geology on two continents. Hartt, a Canadian, was introduced to Brazil in 1865 as a member of the Thayer Expedition, and soon he was entangled with his Harvard University mentor Louis Agassiz over controversial evidence of glaciation in the Southern Hemisphere. Soon after he became the first Professor of Geology at the new Cornell University and mounted two student expeditions to Brazil in 1870 and 1871. Hartt returned to Brazil in 1874 and eventually undertook the Comissão Geológica do Brasil, the first official geological survey of the country. In two years, Hartt and his team—many of whom were students at Cornell—developed the basic geological understanding and original geologic mapping for several areas of Brazil. Hartt died in Rio de Janeiro of yellow fever on March 18, 1878 at age 37.Hartt’s research greatly increased the geological knowledge of his native Canada and his adopted homeland, Brazil. However, his work and travel was hard on his family life and his academic activities. This is the story of Hartt’s life, his family, and the lasting legacy of his geological work. Hardcover, 766 pages
