Djalma Guimarães

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Djalma Guimarães
Born	November 5, 1894(1894-11-05) Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died	October 10, 1973 (aged 78) Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Residence	Brazil
Fields	Geology
Institutions	Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

1 Introduction
2 Career
3 Selected works
4 Honors

[edit] Introduction

Djalma Guimarães also known as Professor Djalma (November 5, 1894 - October 10, 1973), was one of the greatest pioneer geoscientist and is widely considered the Brazil’s most eminent geochemist of the 20th century. He was Professor Emeritus in the Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto and in the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais at Belo Horizonte. At both institutions,he taught geological sciences for more than 35 years. He was a grand son of the Consellor Joaquim Caetano da Silva Guimarães and of the Senator Manoel Teixeira da Costa. Djalma was brought up in an illustrious family which produced renown Brazilian writers such as Bernardo Guimarães and Alphonsus Guimarães. He was also nephew of many scientists such as Pandiá Calógeras, and Paul Ferrand. All these scientists left many scientific articles in several languages on geological aspects of Brazil.

[edit] Career

Professor Djalma interest in mineralogy, petrography and geology was inspired, during his student years, at the Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto by the lessons and assignments given by Professor Costa Sena. He graduated in 1919, at this school with the title of Civil, Mining and Metallurgical Engineer. His his first prize was a study trip in Europe. His travel companion was the Engineer Israel Pinheiro; the latter was about 40 years later Governor of the State of Minas Gerais and who did the managerial work for the construction of Brasilia from 1956 to 1960. D. Guimarães first professional assignment was not in the branch of geology but in the construction of the now Rui Barbosa Avenue through the old Morro da Viuva at the Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil. Guimarães published more than 200 hundreds papers, books and memoirs, and gave numerous conferences. He kept scientific correspondece with geoscientist from most countries in the world, such as USA, Canada, Germany, Finland, Sweden, France, Spain. About three books have been published in his homage by his former students and collaborators. One of these is Contributions to Geology and Petrology(1985). This book probably lists all works produced by Guimarães, as the only author or in collaboration with other professionals, from 1924 to 1978. The book was financed by the CBMM( Companhia Brasileira de Mineração e Metalurgia- CBMM) who owns the greatest niobium ore( pyrochlrore) mine of the world in Barreiro, Araxá, Minas Gerais. See:[1]. This ore reserve was discovered by D. Guimarães and his team when he was the Head of Geology of the former Geological Survey of Minas Gerais(1931-1932). CBMM created the medal Djalma Guimarães to be granted to the best geologist graduated at the Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto or at the Instituto de Geociências of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais at Belo Horizonte.

[edit] Selected works

Uranium-bearing minerals of Brazil (14th International Geological Congress, Madrid, 1926, Comptes Rendus, vol., 4, p. 1789-1794).
Upland diamonds deposits, Diamantina District, Minas Gerais (Economic Geology, New Haven, 1929, vol., 24, p.444-447).
Das Problem der Granitbildung ( Chemie der Erde, Jena, 1938, vol. 12 p.83-94).
Mineral Deposits of magmatic origin. (Economic Geology, Lancaster, 1947, vol. 42, p. 45-57).See: [2].
Age determination of quartz veins and pegmatites in Brazil.(Economic Geol., Lancaster, 1948, vol. 53, no. 2).
Report of niobium(columbium) ore deposit of Barreiro, Araxá, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Departamento Nacional da Produção Mineral, Open file report, 1955.
Geologia do Brasil. Brasil. Departamento Nacional da Produção Mineral, Rio de Janeiro,1964, Memória 1, 674 p.
Princípios de metalgonêse e geologia econômica do Brasil. Departamento Nacional da Produção Mineral, Rio de Janeiro,1965,625p.
Gênese da Bacia Amazônica. Revista da Escola de Minas, Ouro Preto,1971,vol.29, no.1 p.24-26.
Further he described the following new four minerals: eschwegite; arrojadite; pennaite and giannettite.

[edit] Honors

Professor Djalma was a member of the following societies: Academia Brasileira de Ciências,[3]. Societé Geologique de France; Commission Intertationel de Geochimie; Union Internacionale de Chimie Pure et Appliquée; Advisory Board of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; American Geological Union; Geological Society of America; Society of Economic Geologists( when he served as an Associate Editor for the jounal of this society;Sociedade Brasileira de Geologia; Sociedade Brasileira de Geografia; Associação Brasileira de Metais. He was also a member of the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa do Brasil(CNPq)and of the Comissão de Energia Nuclear do Brasil.

In his homage, a mineral composed of radioactive tantalate of uranium and calcium, was given the name djamaite by the geologist Octavio Barbosa.
Also inn his honor, at the Praça da Liberdade(Liberty Square) in Belo Horizonte there is the Museum of Mineralogy Professor Djalma Guimarães.