Hans Morten Thrane Esmark
1801-1882
| The pastor of Brevik, Norway, was rowing around the rocky islands of the Langesundfjord, hunting for ducks. As he drifted around Lovoya Island he noticed a black mineral in the pegmatite boulders. He collected a specimen. In addition to being a learned mineralogist, Esmark performed chemical analyses; he was an expert in potato diseases. He showed the specimen to his father, Jens Esmark, who earlier had been Professor at the famed Kongsberg Mining Academy. Esmark senior sent a sample to Jons Jakob Berzelius for a more complete analysis, who later that year discovered thorium in the mineral. | ||
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