Johann von Charpentier

Johann von Charpentier (born Dec. 8, 1786, Freiberg, Saxony [Germany]—died Dec. 12, 1855, Bex, Switz.) was a pioneer glaciologist, one of the first to propose the idea of the extensive movement of glaciers as geologic agencies. Charpentier was a mining engineer and an amateur naturalist and was the director of salt mines for the Canton of Vaud. He assessed the available information concerning Swiss glaciers and studied the locations of large, immovable boulders in the...