Stanislas-Étienne Meunier

Who is Stanislas-Étienne Meunier?

Stanislas-Étienne Meunier was a French geologist born in Paris.

In 1864 he began work as an "assistant naturalist" to geologist Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, who was an important and lasting influence to Meunier's career. In 1867 he became affiliated with the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, where from 1892 to 1920 he served as chair of geology.

Meunier is remembered for his work in comparative and experimental geology, and is credited for introducing experimental geology into the classroom as a specific branch of physical science.

In his studies of meteorites, he identified thirty chemical elements that could also be found in Earth-based rocks. Referring to research of Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Wilhelm Bunsen involving spectral analysis of the Sun, he stated that a unity of chemical composition existed in the solar system. Meunier also performed important geological studies of the Paris Basin.

Meunier was a prolific author, publishing more than 570 works that included around thirty books. Many of his articles were printed in La Nature and Revue Scientifique.