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Jean Andre Deluc Facts & Worksheets

Jean Andre Deluc was a Swiss geologist, meteorologist, and natural philosopher. He was credited for coining the word "geology".

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Jean Andre Deluc was a Swiss geologist, meteorologist, and natural philosopher. He was credited for coining the word “geology”. He also invented the barometer, which was used to test air pressure, and the hygrometer, which measures the atmosphere’s humidity.

See the fact file below for more information on the Jean Andre Deluc or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Jean Andre Deluc worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY YEARS

  • Jean Andre Deluc was born on February 8, 1727, in Geneva, Switzerland. His family emigrated from Lucca, Italy, in the 15th century.
  • His parents were Francoise Huaut and Jacques-François Deluc, who educated him in mathematics, natural science, and politics.
  • His father had published several writings opposing Mandeville’s doctrines and other rationalistic writers.
  • As a child, Deluc had shown interest in mathematics and science. He also became fascinated with climbing and attempted to take measurements of a mountain’s height through the effects of heat and pressure on a thermometer.
  • De Luc received his basic education in mathematics and natural philosophy at George-Louis Le Sage.

ADULT YEARS

  • Jean Andre Deluc was a businessman for a large part of his adult years. However, he combined commerce with political activities and scientific endeavors, particularly his scientific investigation in the Alps, where he collected minerals and fossils with his brother, Guillaume Antoine.
  • Deluc became a member of the Council of Two Hundred in Geneva two years after gaining the Duke of Choiseul’s friendship during his stay in Paris in 1768.
  • In 1773, Deluc’s losses in his commercial affairs made him decide to move to England and visit his hometown once in a while. He was appointed reader to Queen Charlotte, a position he held for forty-four years. It gave him the time, income, and opportunities to pursue his interests in science. In the same year, Deluc also became a Fellow of the Royal Society.
  • Deluc’s position in the court allowed him to take several tours in Switzerland, France, Holland, and Germany. During his time in Germany from 1798 to 1804, he became a nonparticipant honorary professor of philosophy and geology at Gottingen University, which helped him cover diplomatic missions for King George III.
  • He was also a correspondent of the French Academy of Sciences and several other learned sciences.

SCIENTIFIC THEORY AND OBSERVATIONS

  • Deluc’s scientific interests were geology and meteorology, but he was an expert on the former, according to George Cuvier.
  • His major geological work was the six-volume work entitled Lettres physiques et morales sur les montagnes et sur l’histoire de la terre et de l’homme (Physical and Moral Letters on Mountains and on the History of the Earth and of Man). It was published in 1778, and it consisted of his letters to Queen Charlotte of England, describing his geological researches in Switzerland.

SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION AND THEORY

  • In 1798, he wrote several essays in his Lettres sur l’histoire physique de la terre (Letters on the physical history of the Earth), which he addressed to Johann Friedrich Blumenbach
  • He developed a theory that the Earth’s formation was divided into six periods modeled on the six days of creation. According to his essays, Earth began when cavities in the globe’s interior collapsed and lowered the sea level, consequently exposing the continents.
  • He also suggested there are two distinct phases in geohistory. During a “prehuman” ancient history, the fossils of large animals and the continuity and antiquity of organic life started. The continents began to surface above sea level during the second phase at the start of modern history.
  • Deluc’s most important discovery was that water is at its densest at 39 degrees, not at its freezing point. He theorized that the quantity of water vapor in a given space is independent of the air’s density around it.

BAROMETER AND HYGROMETER

  • Deluc devoted much of his time to the invention of scientific instruments. He invented the portable barometer for use on geological expeditions.
  • Deluc studied the effects of heat and pressure on the mercury barometer and published the barometer’s correct rules to find a mountain’s height. He advocated for the use of mercury in thermometers.
  • He also invented a new hygrometer to measure the amount of water vapor in the air using an ivory vessel filled with an indicator fluid that mounted a scale as the ivory expanded. He later switched to whalebone.
  • He sparked controversy with another inventor, Horace Benedict de Saussure, who used human hair in his hygrometer. The controversy arose because human hair’s length varies in moisture.
  • Saussure questioned Deluc’s theory that he used to measure the water vapor, which stated “pure air is heavier than air mixed with water vapor”.
  • Saussure’s hygrometer won, and by 1820, the human hair hygrometer was the only one in use.
  • Modern studies have proved that the Deluc theory was right. However, Deluc’s theory was proven correct by modern meteorologists.

LATER YEARS

  • Deluc devoted his latter years to theological matters.
  • Despite being a scientist, he was a very religious man. He tried to reconcile religion and science in his theory of Creation in his work Lettres physiques et morales.
  • He had a controversial view of geologist James Hutton and atheism. He was quoted as “while never arguing that Hutton was an atheist, Deluc did accuse him of failing to counter atheism sufficiently”.

DELUC’S LEGACY

  • He spent 70 years researching and writing scientific works.
  • An impact crater on the surface of the moon was named “Deluc” to honor him.
  • He was credited for coining the term “geology”, which was first used in a publication by both him and Saussure.
  • His nephew, Jean Andre Deluc, enhanced his collection of minerals, rocks, and fossils and established a museum.
  • His nephew was also a writer in geology and took on his uncle’s voluminous discourse role on geological topics.
  • Jean Andre Deluc died in Berkshire, England, in November 1817, at the age of 90.

Jean Andre Deluc Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Jean Andre Deluc across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Jean Andre Deluc worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Jean Andre Deluc who was a Swiss geologist, meteorologist, and natural philosopher. He was credited for coining the word “geology”. He also invented the barometer, which was used to test air pressure, and the hygrometer, which measures the atmosphere’s humidity.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Jean Andre Deluc Facts
  • Deluc’s Bio
  • Better Geologist?
  • The Missing Words
  • Notable Inventions
  • Friends or Foe
  • Inquiries About Deluc
  • The Geologist’s League
  • The Life of a Politician
  • Geology and Religion
  • Deluc’s Words

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