Product Description
Faujas de Saint-Fond, Bathelemi; Minéralogie Des Volcans, Ou Description De toutes les Substances produites ou rejetees par les Feux souterrains. Paris, Chez Cuchet, rue & Hôtel Serpente, 1784. Octavo, pp. xv, 16-18, 511, 3 engraved plates.
The work is complete and in a contemporary half calf over marbled boards with gilt spine titles and ruled gilt ruled edges, The binding is very clean, text and plates are exceptionally bright, speckled text block edges, front end sheet replaced at some point. In very good condition.
Faujas de Saint-Fond (1741-1819) was a French geologist and mineralogist who was a close friend of Buffon. He is best remembered for his two major contributions to our understanding of the geology and mineralogy of volcanic regions. He explored and investigated parts of France, England, Germany and Italy studying the geology of the volcanic rocks.
The results of his investigations were published in two pioneering works; “Recherches our les Volcans Eteints” 1778 and “Mineralogy des Volcans”, 1784. In his studies, Faujas recognized ancient basalt flows and their associated mineralization and established the volcanic origins of basalt. He continues his studies in his 1784 milestone work in which he describes and classifies a variety of basalt and associated minerals from different sources. the first fifteen chapters contain Faujas' observations and ideas about basalt. He describes and provides details on the mineral species found in ancient basalt fields and compares them to those minerals found near Mt. Ætna proving that they are a product of that volcanoes geological process. He subsequently draws the correct conclusion that they formed in similar fashion at both locations. These arguments are reinforced at the end of the text with Faujas' description of specimens collected by Dolomieu from Mt. Ætna.
