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We mourn the death of Egon Althaus (1933-2022)

Personalia 2022 Kacheln unterm Slider

We mourn the death of Egon Althaus (1933-2022). He was instrumental in founding the GFZ Potsdam in 1992 and played a major role in determining its scientific orientation.

Egon Althaus sitting around a table with colleagues outside on a project
Prof. Egon Althaus on the far right in the picture with colleagues (Prof. Rolf Emmermann, Prof. Onno Oncken, Dr. Bernhard Raiser, Prof. Georg Dresen and Prof. Dr. Peter Giese) at the laying of the foundation stone for the GFZ main building or building complex B-G. (GFZ)

Egon Althaus passed away on 16 June 2022 in his 90th year. A chemist and mineralogist by training, he was one of the coordinators of the Continental Deep Drilling Programme (KTB) between 1985 and 1995 and was instrumental in founding the GFZ Potsdam in 1992. From the year of the GFZ's founding until 1998, he had a significant influence on its thematic orientation as chairman of the GFZ's Scientific Advisory Board.

Egon Althaus received a number of honours. As early as 1975, the phosphate mineral althausite was named after him. From 1990, he was a full member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and a member of the Academia Europaea. In 1995, he received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Budapest. The German Geological Society (DGG) awarded him the Hans Stille Medal in 1998. In recognition of his services, he was also made an honorary member of the German Mineralogical Society.

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